3 key matchups in Milwaukee Bucks’ first round series with Chicago Bulls
By Dalton Sell
After a turbulent regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks are set to take on the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
The series will begin this coming Sunday when the sixth-seeded Bulls head north to Fiserv Forum to visit the third-seeded Bucks in a battle of Central Division rivals. Given just how thrilling the four games between these two were during the regular season, this first round series has the potential to be something special. One specific aspect of this series that will be fascinating to see is the key matchups offensively and defensively, as both teams boast their share of star power. With all that being said, let us take a closer look at three pivotal matchups that could dominate this series.
Brook Lopez versus Nikola Vucevic will be a pivotal matchup of centers as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Chicago Bulls
Given that he was sidelined for a significant portion of the regular season due to a back procedure, Brook Lopez only appeared in two of Milwaukee’s four games against Chicago. Although the Bucks managed to defeat the Bulls even in the two games that they played without him, Lopez displayed just how important he could be in the other matchups because of how well he matched up against Nikola Vucevic, Chicago’s starting center.
Defensively, Lopez did a number on Vucevic during their two games as he held him to 16 points on just 7-of-22 shooting (31.8 percent), including 2-of-6 from long distance, per NBA.com/stats. Having guarded the center for 71.1 partial possessions, Lopez has not matched up against anyone more often than Vucevic this season, so these two will certainly see plenty of one another during this upcoming playoff series. If Lopez can replicate his regular season success defensively to keep Vucevic in check throughout the matchup, it would help the Bucks tremendously.
Offensively, Lopez’s contributions could be crucial in this series. The center was solid when Vucevic was his primary defender as he scored 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting (46.7 percent) across 66.7 partial possessions. Lopez’s shooting numbers were mainly bogged down by his lackluster 3-point shooting, as he knocked down just one triple in five attempts. Lopez hitting that outside shot with some consistency could be a sizeable difference-maker as it would force Vucevic to guard him out on the perimeter rather than protecting the hoop down low, which would give the Bucks spacing and more freedom on the offensive end.
Lopez and Vucevic have prior postseason experience against one another as the two matched up during the first round of the 2020 Playoffs, and it will be interesting to see them back at it again.