GIANNIS Antetokounmpo eclipsed the 30-point mark for the third time in the last four games as the Milwaukee Bucks earned a 116-100 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night (Thursday in Manila) to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The two-time MVP finished with 33 points and nine rebounds on 11-for-15 shooting to lead Milwaukee to its first postseason series win over the Bulls since 1985.
Reserve Pat Connaughton added 20 points off the bench and Bobby Portis chipped in 14 along with 17 rebounds. Grayson Allen contributed 13 points, Brook Lopez had 12 and Jrue Holiday posted 10 points and nine assists.
With Zach LaVine in the league’s health and safety protocol, Patrick Williams paced Chicago with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Nikola Vucevic finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds, and reserve Coby White went for 17 points.
Bulls All-Star DeMar DeRozan scored just 11 points, while Troy Brown Jr. added 10.
The Bulls launched a season-high 52 3-pointers on the night, but only 15 fell (28.8 percent).
The Bucks went into the break with a 60-42 lead behind 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting from Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee had led by as much as 29, but the Bulls closed the half on a 22-11 run over the final 7:11 to cut the deficit.
Chicago’s defense got torn apart down low in the opening half, as the Bucks scored 34 points in the paint compared to the Bulls’ 16.
In the other game, Stephen Curry scored 30 points in his first start of the series and the Golden State Warriors clinched their first-round matchup with a 102-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 in San Francisco. — Field Level Media
