NBA: Bucks beat Bulls, clinch top seed in East
FMilwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
Bobby Portis scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Brook Lopez added 26 points as the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks took down the visiting Chicago Bulls 105-92 on Wednesday to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Milwaukee (58-22) also got 20 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds from Jrue Holiday, the only member of the Bucks’ Big Three to play for a majority of the night. Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out due to a sore right knee after warming up, and Khris Middleton left the game early in the first half because of a right knee ailment.
Chicago (38-42) was led by Nikola Vucevic with 21 points and 11 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan did not score a single point until the fourth quarter, finishing the game with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting. Zach LaVine also struggled, putting up 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting.
Milwaukee earned its third win in a row while Chicago, which is headed to the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, dropped its second straight.
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 and Thanasis Antetokounmpo #43 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts to a three point shot during the second half of a game against the Chicago Bulls at Fiserv Forum on April 05, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP
“Obviously, over an 82-game season there’s going to be highs and lows, there’s going to be times when you struggle and times when you’re hot,” Portis said after the win.
“But staying together, building our habits on a daily basis, building our chemistry has been key, and hopefully we can take that into the postseason,” he added.
The identity of Milwaukee’s first-round opponents in the playoffs will not be determined until the completion of next week’s play-in tournament.
The Bulls trailed by 11 in the first quarter, but they went on a 10-2 run toward the end of the second quarter and soon after had a stretch of making six field goals in a row to gain some momentum going into the half. Chicago went into the break with a 51-49 lead.
In the third, the Bulls gained some more traction early on but the Bucks rattled off a 15-0 run to retake the lead 66-61. After Chicago briefly regained the lead shortly after, Milwaukee took it back and did not look back the rest of the way.
The Bucks are starting to rack up some injury issues as they head into the end of the regular season with. In addition to the problems for Antetokounmpo and Middleton, both Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton sat out on Wednesday because of ankle sprains.
The Bucks manage to split the four-game season series against their I-94 rival 2-2 after the Bulls took the first two matchups this season.
