The Chicago Bulls coped with disappointment Wednesday night, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 114-109 in Game 2 of their first-round streak, which is now 1-1. Key Match 3 is scheduled for Friday night in Chicago, as the Bulls will host their first post-season game of 2017.
Demar DeRozan was spectacular, hitting a heavy bucket after a heavy bucket on the way to the highest 41 points in his playoff career to lead the Bulls. His charge while driving with 18.2 seconds left led to five and essentially ended the game. Nikola Vucevic and Zach Lavigne also played well, combining 44 points to complement DeRosan’s score.
Janice Adetokunmpo led the Bucks with 33 points, 19 rebounds and 9 assists. That wasn’t enough for Bucks, who made too many mistakes – 15 turns – and finished without Chris Middleton and Bobby Portis. Middleton suffered a sprain of the MCL and will undergo an MRI on Thursday, while Portis left with an abrasion of the eye, which affected his vision.
Here are some key findings from the game:
DeRozan is doing a show
Demar DeRozan had a difficult time in match 1 of this series, scoring 18 points in 6 of 25 from the field. Despite the difficult night, he remained confident, telling reporters he would return to Game 2. “There’s no way the hell I’m going to shoot 6-25 again,” DeRosan said.
He was a man of his word. Less than a minute after the end of the game, DeRozan reached the basket for the first points of the evening and never looked back. His last line was a record in his playoff career – 41 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 16 of 31 from the field. As great as these numbers are, they do not accurately reflect his performance.
Watching live was a really special experience. Everyone in the arena knew what he was going to do, and there was no way anyone could stop him. Again and again he caught the ball near the top of the key, worked in rhythm and hit a jump jumper, often right in the face of the defender. In particular, at the end of the third quarter, he struck two ridiculous blows to Janice.
“He’s a great player,” Janice said. “He is a man who is difficult to guard because he wants to shoot these mid-range strikes. He wants to get to his seats, he has great balance, great rhythm. He will make many of these blows. He did it in the regular season. , he did it tonight. But at the end of the day, I have the feeling that we challenged every blow. For example, it was not open. ”
“We’ve done our job, but at the end of the day you sometimes do your job and that’s not enough,” Janice continued. “But hey, you have to honor him. He was very, very good tonight. He played amazing.”
Even when Bucks started to have some success, slowing him down in the fourth quarter – Jru Holliday had a remarkable block by one of his jumpers – he just kept attacking. His tenacity paid off when he reached the line for two big free throws with 90 seconds left, and then a few possessions later reached the edge for a heavy bucket to seal the victory with 18.2 seconds left.
Bucks’ injuries are a concern for the future
As the Bucks tried to return in the fourth quarter, Chris Middleton reached the basket, planted to spin, and slipped into the wet. This bad luck can have a big impact on the series. Middleton’s left foot gave way when he slid to the floor in an awkward way, and Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer announced after the game that he had suffered a sprain on the MCL.
There is no schedule for Middleton’s return and the team will learn more after MRI on Thursday, but this is obviously bad news for Bucks.
“It’s hard,” Janice said. “I know this feeling. You don’t want to talk to anyone because you really don’t know what it is. You expect the worst until tomorrow, hoping for the best. But at the end of the day, he knows we’re next to him. I don’t need to say it in the media. He knows he’s my brother, no matter what. We need him to win. We will pray, I will pray for the best. I hope it’s not too bad. “
Even in the best case scenario, Middleton seems ready for magic aside, which will leave them without one of their best, most flexible players. In the regular season, the Bucks were 37-10 when all three of Middleton, Janice Adetokunmpo and Jru Holliday, played. When one or more of them were out, they were 14-21.
Middleton’s knee was not the only problem with Bucks’ injury in Game 2. They also spent most of the game without Bobby Portis, who caught his elbow at the end of the first quarter and did not return due to vision problems. Portis was officially diagnosed with an abrasion of the eye, and Budenholzer seemed to be hoping that would not leave him out of Game 3, but that is something to watch out for.
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