The Chicago Bulls defeated the defending champion in Game 2. Thanks to an excellent DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls win 114-110 at the Milwaukee Bucks and thus tie the series.
Milwaukee Bucks (3) – Chicago Bulls (6) 110:114 (BOXSCORE), Series: 1-1
This is mainly due to a significantly improved DeMar DeRozan, who hit everything from mid-range for a long time and only cooled down a bit in the fourth quarter. With 41 points (16/31 FG, 9/9 FT), the forward set a new postseason record at age 32, moreover, the match winner Leger passed Giannis Antetokounmpo just under 20 seconds before the end.
But it wasn’t just DeRozan. Nikola Vucevic (24, 10/18, 13 rebounds) and Zach LaVine (20, 7/13) had three important in the decisive moment, while Alex Caruso (9, 10 assists) sacrificed himself defensively and even fouled Giannis offensively. In the end, the Greek struggled with defeat, but his near triple-double of 33 points (11/20 FG, 11/18 FT), 18 rebounds and 9 assists wasn’t enough.
In the end, Milwaukee was also somewhat lacking in alternatives. Khris Middleton (18, 8 assists) was out of fourth place with a knee problem, while Bobby Portis only played 6 minutes in the first half. The center received an elbow to the face from Tristan Thompson and his right eye was blurred. Middleton had worse. As Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer announced after the game, the forward has suffered a torn ligament, and an MRI will clarify tomorrow how long the star may be out. Brook Lopez (25, 9/16) still knew how to please, while Jrue Holiday (15, 6/16, 6 TO) was very fickle.
In Game 1 the Bulls barely hit a flower pot, in this game things were much better from the start. Five different players scored three in the first quarter, and a 9-0 start was an early exclamation point for the Bulls. The champion, on the other hand, got off to a shaky start and barely gained access. Antetokounmpo also did not dominate like a few days ago. Instead, it was players like Lopez or Wesley Matthews who kept the offense with three.
DeRozan prevents the Bucks from returning
The Bulls then broke up for the first time late in the second quarter with a 13-2 streak and gave the visitors a 14-point lead, with DeRozan having more mid-range success this time around. Vucevic and LaVine were also on pace. Holiday played a very weak first half for the Bucks. Only 6 points, 5 more turnovers and 3 fouls were not allegations by the ace.
The Bucks also had to close that deficit. Middleton warmed up with three straight threes, but DeRozan continued to score and kept the hosts at bay. Only at the end of the quarter did the momentum seem to tip over. Giannis made it a personal 7-0 run, then released DeRozan spectacularly and Middleton scored all three with a free kick. The Bulls’ lead was almost gone within four minutes, and it was only thanks to DeRozan’s brilliance that the visitors opened up an 87-80 lead in the final leg.
There DeRozan continued, the Bulls had another 9 straight points. The Bucks usually did without double teams, probably a mistake. To make matters worse, Middleton was knocked out mid-section with a knee problem, but the champion is still undefeated. Giannis brought the Bucks back with drives, Lopez reduced the lead to -3 with an e-1 with a minute to go.
Chicago failed several times after that, but the Bucks just couldn’t get their hands on the rebound and so it was DeRozan who fearlessly moved into the zone and finally hit the layup over Antetokounmpo. It was the decision the Bucks could no longer resist.
Bucks vs. Bulls: the series at a glance
| Match | date | Time | home | far away | result |
| 1 | april 18 | 12:30 pm | Milwaukee Bucks | Chicago buffalo | 93:86 |
| two | april 21 | 3:30 am | Milwaukee Bucks | Chicago buffalo | 110:114 |
| 3 | April 23 | 2:30 am | Chicago buffalo | Milwaukee Bucks | – |
| 4 | April 24th | 19 hours | Chicago buffalo | Milwaukee Bucks | – |
| 5 | april 28 | to be defined | Milwaukee Bucks | Chicago buffalo | – |
| 6* | April 30th | to be defined | Chicago buffalo | Milwaukee Bucks | – |
| 7* | 1st May | to be defined | Milwaukee Bucks | Chicago buffalo | – |
*if necessary