Photo via Twitter / Bucks
Grayson Allen
There was a lasting effect to the Milwaukee Bucks’ 30-point win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, and that became apparent just a few minutes into game four of the Eastern Conference first round on Sunday afternoon. Less than three minutes into the game, the Bucks took the lead on a Jrue Holiday jumper, and they wouldn’t relinquish it for the rest of the contest.
The Bucks looked strong again on Sunday, feeding off the energy of taking the series lead two days prior in commanding fashion. The 25-point win wasn’t as much about what one thing the Bucks did particularly well, but moreso about what Chicago couldn’t do with the ball. The Bulls didn’t get to the free throw line at all in the first half of the game, a byproduct of not taking an aggressive look to the lane, routinely settling for difficult mid-range shots. The Bulls also could not get their bench involved, as the trio of Zach Lavine, Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan were the only point scorers for the Bulls in the first quarter. Milwaukee’s bench, however, would steal the show.
Grayson Allen had a career-high playoff game, with 27 points for Milwaukee, trailing only Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 32 of his own. They did it in contrasting fashion, though, as Giannis would bully his way into the paint for much of his points, while Allen shot an incredibly efficient 10 of 12 from the field, including making six of his seven three-point attempts. His contributions were felt most in the second quarter, when a barrage of threes would help separate the Bucks and the Bulls, pulling out to a 15-point lead by halftime. Allen is proving to be quite the playoff asset, after having two of his best playoff performances back-to-back, and becoming the perimeter shooter that Milwaukee needs to counterbalance Giannis’ presence inside.
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The second half was certainly a Sunday in the park for Milwaukee. Chicago would pull back slightly, but never erase the deficit to less than a nine point Bucks lead. While Grayson Allen helped break things open, Giannis and the Bucks’ starters would help ensure that things didn’t get tight. Giannis would feast on an already defeated Bulls team, scoring much of his points in the second half, mostly going right at whoever was in the middle for Chicago. He would finish just three assists shy of a triple-double, but he simply couldn't be stopped when going to the basket. The NBA has not revealed their 2021-22 MVP pick at this point, but performances like Sunday show exactly how dominant he can truly be.
Another fan favorite was providing exactly what he needed to on Sunday afternoon, as Bobby Portis once again started in Khris Middleton’s spot, as Middleton will miss at least the rest of the series with an MCL sprain. Portis finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but the things that will not end up on the score sheet are where he specializes. That included having an increasingly physical presence for Milwaukee, and talking plenty of smack to the team that drafted him and ultimately let him go. Things would boil over late, when Portis and Zach Lavine would get tangled up under the basket, but the benches intervened before things could get too out of hand. Bobby Portis and the rest of the Bucks’ offensive options are clearly frustrating the Bulls in this series, and they’ll have the chance to close out the series on Wednesday at Fiserv Forum.
Game five of the Bucks-Bulls series tips off on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum, with national coverage and a start time dependent on the playoff games happening on Monday and Tuesday around the league. Inclement weather has been a deterrent for fans gathering at Deer District during this opening round series, but there currently isn’t a drop of rain in the forecast for this week. Hopefully a large crowd in and around Fiserv Forum will be able to celebrate Milwaukee moving into the next round of the playffs on Wednesday night.
