3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ commanding win over Chicago Bulls
By Dalton Sell
With a chance to sweep the four-game regular season series and clinch the NBA’s Central Division, the Milwaukee Bucks walked into the United Center last night to face the Chicago Bulls.
Not only was this a pivotal matchup because the Bucks had lost their previous two games, but the current standings would also have them facing this team in the first round of the playoffs. Though the Eastern Conference standings are as unpredictable as ever currently and shift constantly, this was still a potential preview of that hypothetical matchup, and the champs did not disappoint as the Milwaukee Bucks undoubtedly put on a show down in Chicago last night.
The Bucks never found themselves facing a deficit larger than two points, which came mid-way in the first quarter. After briefly trailing, Milwaukee pulled away as they built a double-digit lead over Chicago, which grew to 24 at its largest late in the fourth. When the final buzzer sounded, not only did the Bucks secure the 127-106 victory, but they notched the Central Division title for the fourth year in a row. With that being said, let us take a closer look at three takeaways from the contest.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ recent lineup swap produced positive results as both Wesley Matthews and Grayson Allen clocked in solid performances
Coach Mike Budenholzer made a surprising decision late in the season when he recently swapped Grayson Allen and Wesley Matthews in the rotation. Allen would now come off the bench, sending Matthews into the starting five, mainly for defensive purposes. Both players have displayed some rust adjusting to the change, and understandably so, but the pair looked good in their roles against the Bulls last night.
By now, everyone knows that the Bulls fanbase is not too fond of Allen, given the incident from an earlier meeting between Milwaukee and Chicago this year that resulted in Alex Caruso suffering an unfortunate wrist injury that sidelined him. Those Bulls fans in the United Center last night made it clear how they feel about Allen as they booed him every single time he touched the basketball, but he seemingly did not let it bother him as he had a solid overall game off the bench.
Allen chipped in 13 points, which tied for the most in the second unit with Bobby Portis. Though he knocked down just one of his three 3-point attempts, Allen was efficient on the night as he went a solid 4-for-6 from the floor, having consistently attacked the basket. In addition to his attacking, a few hard fouls by the Bulls helped Allen earn four shots at the foul line, all of which he connected on to help propel his quality scoring outing. Not to mention that Allen was also a +21 for the game, the highest on the Milwaukee Bucks, having made his presence felt throughout.
Elsewhere, Matthews added 11 points of his own largely thanks to some prolific outside shooting. The veteran shot an efficient 3-of-4 from the perimeter while also hitting a pair of shots from the line, having found his stroke offensively. Given just how poorly he played on Sunday as Milwaukee fell to the Dallas Mavericks – totaling two points on 0-of-4 shooting- this was the type of showing that the Milwaukee Bucks needed from their new starting shooting guard.
Both players will remain vital pieces in the rotation no matter if they are starting or coming off the bench, and last night’s game showed the impact these two can have.