Top Takeaways from Giannis, Bucks vs. DeMar DeRozan, Bulls
The Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls are both heading to the playoffs this season. However, the Eastern Conference rivals are trending in opposite directions. And if they meet in the postseason, it seems clear how the series will go.
On Tuesday night, the Bucks rolled to a 127-106 road win over the Bulls, securing their fourth consecutive Central Division title by improving to 49-30 with the victory. Chicago, which dropped to 45-34, still clinched a playoff berth despite its loss and is currently in the No. 6 spot in the East.
Milwaukee dominated the season series between these teams, winning all four meetings. And while the NBA champion Bucks are getting healthy and could be building momentum for the postseason, the Bulls have lost 13 of their past 19 games.
Here are key takeaways from Tuesday's Milwaukee-Chicago matchup.
The Bucks' Balance Will Again Make Them Dangerous in Playoffs
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In order to repeat as NBA champions, the Bucks will likely need Giannis Antetokounmpo to help power them through the playoffs. The 27-year-old is the team's best player, and he's one of the biggest stars in the league.
However, Milwaukee's balance and depth are equally important. Antetokounmpo can't do everything by himself, especially in games like Tuesday's, when he had five fouls and was limited to 24 minutes. But the Bucks have proved they can have success without relying too much on their superstar, especially when Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are both healthy and on the court.
Milwaukee had seven players score double-digit points against Chicago, with Brook Lopez (28 points), Middleton (19) and Antetokounmpo (18) leading the way. Bobby Portis and Grayson Allen each tallied 13 points while coming off the bench.
"I thought everybody, the roster, just the depth, everybody played well tonight, or a lot of guys played well," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I do think they were throwing a lot of bodies at [Antetokounmpo], throwing an extra double team, and I thought he read it and played with his teammates well. I liked the way he played."
Even though Milwaukee has only three regular-season games remaining, it needs to keep playing well. It is tied with the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers at 2.5 games behind the Miami Heat, so the team is still battling to get the best possible seed.
Plus, the Bucks will want to build momentum for the playoffs, where they will look to make another deep run. And because of the balance and depth they have alongside Antetokounmpo, there's a good chance that will happen. Expect more performances where Milwaukee gets strong showings from a bunch of players as it continues to show why it's among the NBA's top teams.
The Bulls' Return to Postseason Could Be Brief
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Even though the Bulls haven't played well for much of the past two months, their slide wasn't enough to offset their strong start to the season. They will be heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, but they are going to need to perform much better if they hope to orchestrate a deep postseason run.
Chicago's biggest struggles have come against the East's other top teams. It went 0-4 against Miami, 0-4 against Milwaukee and 0-4 against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bulls are 1-1 against the Boston Celtics, whom they play Wednesday night.
Because Chicago will likely be facing one of those teams in the first round of the playoffs, it could be difficult for the team to win a postseason series this year. But the Bulls will at least get to try to perform better against the tough competition they have struggled against.
"To still have a chance, an opportunity to pick it up and use these next few games to get going in the right direction—that's what it's all about," Chicago guard DeMar DeRozan said, per Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. "As long as you're playing good basketball at the right time with an opportunity still in front of you, anything could happen."
However, the Bulls haven't been playing good basketball. On Tuesday, DeRozan continued his strong season by tallying 40 points. But Chicago shot 42.9 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three-point range, and it trailed for much of the game, including by as many as 24 points.
It seems highly unlikely that the Bulls pull off a first-round upset. They haven't kept up with the top teams in the East all season, and they likely won't be getting back point guard Lonzo Ball, who recently suffered a setback while rehabbing his left knee injury, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. So don't be surprised if Chicago isn't playing long past the end of the regular season.
