3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ hectic Game 1 win over Chicago Bulls
By Dalton Sell
With the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks struggling, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez paved the road to victory in Game 1
With Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and several members of the supporting cast having struggled to find a groove throughout Game 1, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez stepped up.
Antetokounmpo was in attack mode offensively as he finished with 16 points in the paint, which was the highest among all scorers, per NBA.com. In total, the Greek Freak finished with 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting to lead all scorers. While his scoring was solid overall, Antetokounmpo had some struggles at the free throw line as he shot just 6-of-11 on the night, which nearly proved to be problematic for the Bucks. Hopefully it was just a case of the Game 1 woes. With 16 rebounds, three assists, and two emphatic blocked shots to go along with his 27 points, Antetokounmpo did his part to make sure the Milwaukee Bucks got this win, and they needed every bit of him.
Lopez also contributed in a big way as he added 18 points, five rebounds, and two blocked shots. Offensively, the big man could not find a rhythm from the outside as he knocked down just one of his five attempts from three, but he did a significant amount of damage down low as he scored 12 paint points, trailing only Antetokounmpo for the team lead. He was especially impactful down the stretch of the fourth quarter, as Lopez tallied seven points in the period, drawing a pair of crucial and-one opportunities that helped the Milwaukee Bucks win this one. In addition to his production on the offensive end, Lopez also had a key block with a tick over a minute and a half to play as the Milwaukee Bucks led by only three. In short, it was a great two-way performance from Lopez.
Both Antetokounmpo and Lopez made some vital plays throughout this game to help the Bucks claim a 1-0 lead in this best of seven series.
Next. 3 Milwaukee Bucks’ wild cards in first round series with Chicago Bulls. dark
The Milwaukee Bucks will look to keep the ball rolling as they take on the Chicago Bulls in Game 2 of this first round series this Wednesday. Be sure to catch the action at 8:30 p.m. CST on TNT.