The Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 103-91 in Game 1 of their first round match up on Saturday night. Jimmy Butler (25 points) and Derrick Rose (23 points) led the Bulls. Khris Middleton finished with a team-high 18 points for the Bucks.
The first quarter was evenly matched as the Bucks came out with great energy and got off to an 8-2 start in the first two minutes. Both teams scored well and efficiently in the opening quarter.Chicago shot 58 percent and Milwaukee shot 59 percent from the field. Chicago closed the quarter with the momentum on a running bank-in three-pointer by Aaron Brooks to give the Bulls a 30-29 lead. Brooks scored 10 points in his first eight minutes on the floor.
In the second quarter the Bucks’ efficiency slipped and the Bulls put up another 30-point quarter. Derrick Rose started a surge of aggressive blow-by drives that the Bucks couldn’t contain. Like this one:
Rose scored 10 points in the quarter and Chicago had the edge in bench points (20-14), points in the paint (26-22) and rebounds (25-17) at the break. Jimmy Butler scored 16 of his 25 in the first half. Butler also broke his previous career-playoff high of 21.
Derrick Rose gave the Bulls their most important edge in the third quarter where he scored 11 points including three consecutive three-pointers during one stretch.
The Bulls shot 12-for-32 from three while the Bucks went 4-for-16 from behind the arc. Chicago won the rebounding battle 52-41. Milwaukee’s bench outscored the Bulls bench 31-30 but they shot below 40 percent from the field for the game after their hot start.
Game 2 of this series will be Monday, April 20 at 8 PM on TNT.
