Jason Kidd’s team is averaging 86.5 points per game on 37.4 percent shooting through the first two games of the series.
After finishing the regular season 41-41, the Milwaukee Bucks earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and a best-of-seven matchup against the third-seeded Chicago Bulls in the first round of the postseason. It’s the second time the Bucks have qualified for the playoffs in three seasons and the first time under head coach Jason Kidd, the first coach in NBA history to make the playoffs with two different teams in his first two seasons as head coach.
But after losing 91-82 Monday night at the United Center, Milwaukee found itself down 0-2 as the series shifted northward across the Illinois-Wisconsin border.
Both the Bucks and Bulls got out to hot starts offensively in Game 1, but the main storyline was Derrick Rose, who scored 23 points in 27 minutes and showed the explosiveness and rim-finishing ability that earned him the MVP in 2011. His effort combined with 25 points from All-Star Jimmy Butler led Chicago to a 103-91 victory and a 1-0 series lead.
In Game 2, it was Butler who stole the show, pouring in 31 points on 10 of 19 shooting and setting a new playoff career-high. Through two games, he’s +24, the highest +/- rating of any Bulls player this postseason. Additionally, the team received 35 total rebounds from Joakim Noah and All-Star Pau Gasol.
As both teams prepare for Game 3 Thursday night at BMO Harris Bradley Center, let’s look at where the Bucks have excelled and where they must improve if they hope to advance to the second round.
POSITIVES
Bench Scoring
The Bucks’ bench outscored the Bulls’ bench 31-30 in Game 1 and 27-16 in Game 2. Moreover, Jared Dudley is Milwaukee’s only play with a positive +/- at +1. Despite scoring only three points on 1 of 4 shooting Monday night, he recorded four steals and finished with a +2 rating for the game. John Henson and Jerryd Bayless have also contributed off the bench; Henson is averaging 10.0 points per game on 9 of 15 shooting in the series and Bayless is averaging 9.5 points per game on 7 of 13 shooting.
Khris Middleton
While he has a +/- rating of -15 for the series, Middleton has been the only Bucks player to score 18 or more points in a game thus far. He has been Milwaukee’s best player since the trade of Brandon Knight and the team will need him to continue scoring if it has any chance of coming back and winning the series.
Frontcourt Defense
Gasol averaged 24.5 points and 13.3 rebounds on 35 of 64 (54.7 percent) shooting in Chicago’s four regular season matchups against the Bucks, but in the series he’s averaging only 10.5 points on 9 of 29 (31.0 percent) shooting. He and Noah are a combined 15-for-43 from the field, and much of their poor shooting has to do with the play of Milwaukee’s bigs.
NEGATIVES
Containing Jimmy Butler
In two games, Butler is averaging 28.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists on 18 of 33 shooting. In the regular season, Milwaukee held Butler to 14.5 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting, so it will be paramount for the team to keep him in check as the series progresses.
Starting Unit
The Bucks’ starting five of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michael Carter-Williams, Middleton, Zaza Pachulia and Ersan Ilyasova are a combined -60 in their two losses thus far. The Bulls’ starters are +81. Chicago has done a good job containing the Greek Freak, who is only 6-for-24 from the field in the series. MCW has also been held in check, as the former NBA Rookie of the Year is 9-for-25 with four turnovers so far.
Rebounding
The Bulls outrebounded Milwaukee 52-41 in Game 1 and 64-48 in Game 2. While Gasol and Noah haven’t been efficient scoring-wise, each has earned double-digit rebounds in both games. Furthermore, Pachulia and Antetokounmpo are the only two Bucks with over 10 rebounds in a game thus far. Chicago is known for controlling the boards when beating their opponents, so Milwaukee will need to make a greater effort to rebound defensively and earn more second-chance scoring opportunities.
LOOKING FORWARD
As Game 2 showed, things are beginning to get testy between the Bulls and Bucks. After Henson clobbered Aaron Brooks on a fastbreak, both teams got together and exchanged pleasantries. Later, Pachulia would be ejected for his second technical foul after getting into it with Nikola Mirotic, who suffered a left quad injury just seconds before the scuffle. Mirotic will be evaluated tomorrow and it’s unclear whether or not he will be available for Game 3. The NBA Rookie of the Year candidate is +13 on the series.
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