Bucks lock down Bulls, lock up 2nd-round spot

MILWAUKEE — The Bucks misplaced ahead Khris Middleton to a sprained MCL and responded with three consecutive victories over the Chicago Bulls, advancing to the second spherical of the NBA playoffs with a 116-100 win in Sport 5 on Wednesday.

The Bucks will play the Celtics within the second spherical; Sport 1 is scheduled for Sunday in Boston.

After splitting the primary two video games of the sequence, Milwaukee asserted its dominance over Chicago. The Bucks held the Bulls to underneath 100 factors in three of the 5 video games, profitable every of the ultimate three video games by double digits.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 factors on 11-of-15 taking pictures, including 9 rebounds, within the sequence finale.

With Bulls guards Zach LaVine (well being and security protocols) and Alex Caruso (concussion protocol) each sidelined for Wednesday’s sport, the Bucks had been capable of key in defensively on Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who was restricted to 11 factors on 5-of-10 taking pictures.

All 10 of DeRozan’s subject objective makes an attempt had been contested, and he was double-teamed 27 instances in Sport 5, essentially the most doubles of a single participant in a playoff sport up to now three seasons, in response to analysis by ESPN Stats & Data. He confronted 24 double-teams within the earlier 4 video games mixed.

The Bucks turned up the defensive depth to make up for the absence of Middleton, who sprained the MCL in his left knee throughout the fourth quarter of Sport 2.

The group’s preliminary timeline for Middleton had him scheduled to be reevaluated in two weeks, which places his availability for the beginning of the second spherical in jeopardy.