Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls Game One Preview: Let the Festivities Begin

Welcome to the playoffs, ladies and gentlemen. Milwaukee’s postseason run is about to kick off as they try to defend last year’s championship. What better way to start the title defense than vs. the team south of the border — the Chicago Bulls?

Where We’re At

Milwaukee comes into this series with high confidence. They’re healthy, they’re looking like they have strong chemistry, and oh yeah, they’re the defending NBA champions. That will definitely bode well for them. The Bucks finished the year strong, winning three consecutive games before benching a majority of starters vs. Cleveland.

Chicago definitely seems to be one of the weaker teams in the East, as they’ve struggled mightily as late. We all know their poor record vs. teams in the top portion of the conferences. Prior to their win in the final game of the year vs. Minnesota, they were on a four game skid. It seems that a majority of Bulls fans aren’t exactly instilling a lot of confidence in their team. Over at Blog a Bull, they predict that Chicago will fall in five.

Player to Watch

It’s going to have to be DeMar DeRozan. He’s the firepower of the Chicago offense, and it really does come down to him when deciding whether or not the Bulls will make this game and series competitive. He definitely possesses the ability to score the basketball, which Bucks fans are no stranger to in playoff series dating back to his time in Toronto. The portion of his game to keep an eye on will be his free throws. Mike Budenholzer and Bucks players have talked numerous times on how that is the key to slowing him down. DeRozan is the type of player that thrives on making contact and getting to the stripe. If he’s unable to fulfill that part of his game, things could go rough for Chicago.

Betting Odds

Per DraftKings, the Bucks are -10 on the spread as well as -550 on the ML.

Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.