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With a 116-100 victory, the Milwaukee Bucks have officially eliminated the Chicago Bulls, advancing to the second-round to face the Boston Celtics.
After a bit of a rough start, the Bucks had no problem with Chicago in the opening frame. Giannis’ 15 first quarter points really started the kindling in this one, with Milwaukee soon ripping off a double-digit lead. Going into the second quarter, they found themselves up 34-18.
The runs would continue for the Bucks throughout the second quarter. Following a 12-0 run in the first, Milwaukee rattled off a crisp 23-2 run later. That’d give them a large 60-42 advantage at the break.
The third would start with a little bit of a scare, as the Bulls sliced the Bucks deficit to just 11 points in the early going. However, things wouldn’t be scary that much longer, as a pair of Pat Connaughton threes gave Milwaukee some padding. Going into the fourth, they led 91-68.
From that point on, it was smooth sailing for Milwaukee. The dagger had been inserted into the Bulls and this series was officially over. They’d put the final touches on a convincing 116-100 victory.
Stat That Stood Out
With Zach Lavine out, you knew the Bucks were going to be thin on the offensive side of the basketball. This meant that the Bucks had no trouble throwing multiple bodies at DeMar DeRozan all night — something that clearly frustrated him. DeRozan didn’t score his first basket until 5:39 left in the quarter. All night long, he was a non-factor, which gave Milwaukee an easy path to victory in this closeout game.