Chicago’s bid for a seventh NBA title remains right on track after the Bulls beat the Bucks on Monday in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference First Round showdown. The Bulls will look to open up a 3-0 series lead this coming Thursday but it won’t be that easy as action now shifts to Milwaukee’s home floor.
Who will grab the edge in this pivotal Game 3? Read on below for a breakdown of this important matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of Game 3 between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors here.
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Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – April 18, 7:00 PM ET, Milwaukee Bucks 91 at Chicago Bulls 103
Game 2 – April 20, 8:00 PM ET, Milwaukee Bucks 82 at Chicago Bulls 91
Game 3 – April 23, 8:00 PM ET, Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks – view all NBA lines
Game 4 – April 25, 5:30 PM ET, Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks
Game 5* – April 27, TBD, Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls
Game 6* – April 30, TBD, Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks
Game 7* – May 2, TBD, Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls
* if necessary
Betting on the Chicago Bulls
All the talk entering this series revolved around Derrick Rose and the impact that he will have in this year’s postseason. It’s about time, however, that we give the same amount of attention to Chicago’s rising star Jimmy Butler.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Butler set a playoff career high for the second game running as he scored 31 points in 46 minutes of action to give the Bulls a precious 2-0 series lead. After scoring 25 points in Game 1, Butler carried the scoring cudgels for the Bulls once again, shooting an incredible 10-of-19 from the field. He was clutch down the stretch for the Bulls as he scored 14 of his points in the final quarter.
For a while though, it seemed like the Bulls will crash to a shock home loss. They started the game flat, shooting just 4 of 20 in the opening quarter with six turnovers to boot. Rose, who exploded for 23 points in Game 1, went scoreless in the first half, going 0-for-7 from the floor.
Fortunately for the Bulls, their starting guards picked up their game in the second half. After Butler and Rose combined for just 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting in the first half, they turned it on in the second half, scoring 36 points on a combined 11-of-18 shooting from the field. They were sizzling from beyond the arc during this time, going 5-of-8 from the three-point area.
They will need to shoulder the offensive load even more with the news that Nikola Mirotic may be out for Game 3 after suffering a left quad strain on Monday. To make matters worse for Mirotic and the Bulls, he also has a swollen left knee after his collision with Zaza Pachulia in the fourth quarter.
Mirotic was a valuable contributor off the bench in Game 2, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds. With Mirotic possibly out not only for this game but the entire series, the onus is on Taj Gibson to pick up the scoring slack for the Bulls. Gibson didn’t score on Monday, but had three blocks in 11 minutes of action against the Bucks.
The Bulls are 4-2 ATS in their last six road games.
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Betting on the Milwaukee Bucks
It’s still too early to push the panic button for the Bucks but there must be a sense of urgency for Jason Kidd’s men heading into the all-important Game 3 on Thursday. It’s basically now or never for Milwaukee as no team in the history of the NBA has come back from a 0-3 hole to win a best-of-seven series.
It has been a disappointing start to the 2015 postseason for the Bucks who have now lost eight straight playoff games since beating Atlanta on April 28, 2010. For Milwaukee to snap its losing rut against Chicago in Game 3, it needs to do a much better job in rebounding the basketball.
The Bulls totally dominated the glass in Game 2 as they outrebounded the Bucks, 64-48. It was basically a repeat of Game 1 wherein Chicago had a 52-41 advantage against Milwaukee in the battle of the boards. To emphasize Chicago’s dominance in Game 2, the Bulls snatched 84.7% of all available defensive rebounds and over 26% of the offensive rebounds.
The Bucks had no answer for Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah who combined for a whopping 35 boards. The Bucks need to make a concerted effort to stop Chicago’s frontcourt duo from grabbing that many rebounds. It’s crucial for Zaza Pachulia to be scrappier inside the shaded area. He only hauled in six boards on Monday, down from his 10-rebound output in Game 1.
The good news, though, for head coach Jason Kidd is that his team’s vaunted defense is back once again. After surrendering 103 points in Game 1, the Bucks allowed the Bulls to score just 91 points on a paltry 38.3% shooting in Game 2.
Unfortunately for Kidd, his team struggled on the other end of the floor. The Bucks shot just 35.6% from the field in Game 2. They were particularly horrible with their offense down the stretch, making just three of their last 21 field goal attempts.
The Bucks need to execute much better on the offensive end and make their perimeter jumpers if they are to cut the series deficit to one. With Chicago clogging the paint, the opportunity is there for the Bucks to hurt the Bulls with their outside shooting. They have failed to do that in this series thus far, though, shooting just 8-of-33 (24.2%) from beyond the arc in the first two games.
The Bucks are 3-2 ATS in their last five home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Milwaukee snaps its eight-game playoff losing skid with a 93-85 win in Game 3.
