The Bulls overall connected on just 31.7 FG% of their field goals in the first half and made a mere 3-17 of their long range looks. DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic combined to score 33 points, albeit on an inefficient 10-of-31 field goal conversion rate. On the Bulls side, their three priciest players all got into double figures by the break. The rest of the Bucks beyond that Greek Freak/Lopez tandem shot just 9-of-30 in the first half, scoring 23 points and grabbing 16 boards. Giannis himself scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting over the course of the first two quarters, while chipping in 11 boards. Antetokounmpo and Lopez did a lot of that damage, combining for 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting, along with 13 rebounds, in the half. The Bucks still headed into the halftime break up 51-43. Vucevic even played respectable defense against Lopez near the bucket at one point! Chicago’s swarming defensive strategy helped them chip away at the Bucks’ edge, and the club would go on to outscore Milwaukee 22-17 in the period. The Bulls staged quite the turnaround in the second quarter. | /ES8w0eDk1v- Chicago Bulls April 17, 2022 Unfortunately, that would be the only field goal attempt he would make, after taking just three shots from the floor across 23:12 minutes.Ĭhicago cut the lead to just five with a 7-0 run midway through the frame, thanks to a pair of trips to the line from LaVine and DeRozan and this 26-foot Zach trey: Williams showed flashes of promise in the second period, driving to the lane and drawing contact in the kind of aggressive action we need to see a whole lot more of for Chicago to succeed. Jones occasionally played alongside the 6’4” Javonte Green at power forward. in off the bench instead of Tristan Thompson as a reserve big man to throw at Antetokounmpo. In a clever move, Donovan opted to bring the more mobile and athletic (and significantly shorter) Derrick Jones Jr. The Bucks handily scored 18 interior points against Chicago in the frame.ĭeRozan started landing some pull-up jumpers in the second quarter. Brook Lopez scored an easy 11 points in the period against a helpless Bulls front line. Chicago connected on just 8-of-24 field goal attempts in the first frame.Įarly on, the Bulls’ issues defending the Bucks’ size were glaring. Their advantage ballooned to as much as 16 points in the quarter. It didn’t help much at first, and the Bucks led 34-21 after the first quarter. The Bulls were doing their darnedest to stay alert and aggressive early on defense, looking to trap and rotate to cover the Bucks’ shooters early. Giannis throws it down /woSfWy9zOp- NBA on TNT April 17, 2022 Antetokounmpo is now 14-0 against the Bulls across his past 14 healthy meetings with Chicago. He finished the quarter with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor, along with nine rebounds and two assists. In the frame, Giannis Antetokounmpo handily broke through to the interior for a variety of pretty easy finishes around the rim. Vucevic was the first to score for Chicago with a triple. The Bucks kicked off the proceedings with a 9-0 run in first 1:33 of game action, capped off with a 27-foot Giannis three! Billy Donovan was forced to burn a timeout to calm Chicago down.Īs Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago posited earlier this week, the Bulls relegated rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu to the bench, opting for a larger starting five of Alex Caruso, Zach, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, and Vucevic.ĭeRozan missed some free throws and the Bulls missed some jumpers early. The Bucks won a low-scoring affair at home, 93-86, as Zach LaVine played in his first-ever postseason game.Ĭhicago had a rough start, making its first playoff appearance since the “Three Alphas” suffered a 2017 first-round loss to the Celtics. Your Chicago Bulls roared back from a brutal first quarter to keep things interesting and Nikola Vucevic was surprisingly aggressive late, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in tonight’s opening game of the two Central Division clubs’ quarterfinals matchup.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |