Game 1 began with plenty of offense and impressive plays. Game 2 was nearly the opposite. In the first quarter, neither team could buy a bucket and the Bulls' inability to take good looks was countered by Milwaukee missing point blank layups. It definitely wasn't a pretty start. The Bulls started out only shooting 4-20 from the field and after the first quarter, the Bucks lead, 16-11.
The second quarter was definitely more fun to watch. The offenses started to get going and there was even a kerfuffle leading to four technicals going to OJ Mayo, Zaza Pachulia, Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah. In the less positive statistics section, Derrick Rose had his first scoreless half of his playoff career.
At halftime, Milwaukee held a 38-34 lead and they seemed to be in control. The Bucks also had a pretty firm grasp on the game at this point--which was a step up from the 18 minutes of real basketball that they played on Saturday. It also helped that the Bulls' offense put together one of their worst halves of the season.
Once the second half started, the Bulls were off to the races (tried make a rodeo pun here but couldn't quite grab it by the horns). Derrick Rose finally started hitting shots and he officially showed up on the triple-double watch with 6 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. That Jimmy Butler guy was also pretty good. He finished with 31 points and converted on three And-1 plays. Jimmy might have found his bread and Butler in this game.
Sorry, readers. Enough with the horrible puns and back to the recap.
Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol controlled the glass through most of the game and Noah's hustle for rebounds towards the end of the game definitely helped seal the deal. The tandem combined for 35 rebounds on the night - 19 of them coming from Noah.
For the Bucks, they hung on for a really good chunk of the game. They even looked in control until the Bulls pulled away midway through the fourth quarter. Khris Middleton continued to impress with 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting. Offensively, Giannis Antetokounmpo still has a long way to go, as evident by his 2-of-11 shooting but on the defensive side of the ball, he looked really, really good. A big Greak Freak swat on Gasol was sure to make the highlight reel. Antetokounmpo finished with 2 blocks and 2 steals. No Bucks players were able to shoot over 50%, and that is usually a recipe for disaster; Jerryd Bayless had the highest FG% with 50% of his 6 shots finding the bottom of the net. Outside of Middleton, only one player was able to score in double figures and that was Michael Carter-Williams. MCW finished with 12 points, but only posting 2 assists was nothing short of a disappointment. This writer, for one, expects more than 2 assists from a point guard playing 33 minutes. The blame can partially be put on the system as Antetokounmpo does a lot of ball handling but even he finished with 4 assists.
If one scuffle wasn't enough, Nikola Mirotic and Zaza Pachulia had a shoving match from the floor while fighting for a loose ball. Both players received technicals and Pachulia was tossed after picking up his second (the first coming from the first rumble). This series is getting physical, folks. Hold onto your hats.
Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee both rode the bench all game for the Bucks, while Tom Thibodeau never subbed in Kirk Hinrich or Doug McDermott for the Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls now hold a 2-0 lead over the Bucks as the series heads to Milwaukee for two games. Game 3 will be played on Wednesday, April 22nd. You can catch that action on NBA TV at 8 pm EST.