Los Chicago Bullscon 41 points of a DeMar DeRozan stellar, they won this Wednesday by 114-109 in the field of Milwaukee Buckse tied the series 1-1 first round of the playoffs of the NBAwhich now moves to United Center from Chicago.
DeRozan, the man who led the Bulls to the playoffs after five years of waiting, knocked out the reigning champions with a resounding performance. He scored 41 points, with seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two shots, both to Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo.
He became the fifth Bulls player capable of scoring at least forty points in a playoff game and led his team along with a Alex Caruso who stood out for his work at the service of his colleagues. His nine points, ten assists and two rebounds only partially describe his weight in the victory of the men from Billy Donovan.
They also highlighted the 24 points and 13 rebounds of Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic and the 20 points from Zach LaVine.
It was a feat for the Bulls, who had lost the previous five disputed this year against the Bucks, for whom the 33 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists from Antetokounmpo.
The team of Mike Budenholzer lost home court advantage, with the series moving to Chicago for Games 3 and 4, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, and also lost Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton to injury.
Chicago shoots its percentages
If in the first game the Bulls had paid their lousy 31 percent in field goals, this Wednesday they jumped onto the field with a radically different attitude and effectiveness. They finished 44 of 89 shooting, bordering on 50 percent.
The DeRozan-Vucevic-LaVine trio had 56 percent overall shooting in the first half and led a 15-4 run that gave the Bulls a 63-49 lead against the once again lackluster Bucks.
A great performance by Giannis colored the performance in the first game, but this time the Bucks had problems, as Bobby Portis was forced to retire after five minutes on track due to an eye problem.
DeRozan, Chicago’s leader on the road to the playoffs, had a bad day in the series opener and missed many normally comfortable shots from midrange, but he vindicated himself.
DeRozan, intractable
He recovered rhythm and elegance in his movements and, together with Vucevic, gave Chicago the maximum advantage at 67-49 in the third quarter.
His big plays allowed to limit the Bucks’ attack, which was led by triples from Khris Middleton. Alex Carusowith a tremendous defensive effort, closed the door on Giannis and forced him to add his points from the free throw line.
Mind you, when the Greek upped the ante, he led a convincing 15-2 run that pulled the Bucks closer, but the Bulls still managed to hold a seven-point margin going into the fourth period.
Although the inertia at that time seemed to be on the Bucks’ side, it was the Bulls who came out to bite.
Con a stellar DeRozan and an effective Vucevic in the paint and from 3-point range, Donovan’s team opened the deciding quarter with a 9-0 run that gave them back a 16-point lead.
The Bucks also lost Middleton with left knee soreness.but despite that Giannis continued to dominate and his power, coupled with Jrue Holiday’s triples, allowed his team to cut the distance to three points.
However, a spectacular Caruso when it came to battling for rebounds and a DeRozan on a roll managed to defend a momentous victory for the Bulls.
With a three-point margin and half a minute to play, Chicago gained two offensive rebounds and DeRozan backed the board for the two points that tied the series.
