Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls Game 1 Grades: Chicago Bulls: C-
The Bulls got behind early in game one, down as many as 16 points but spent the second, third and fourth quarters chipping away and even took a late lead. However, the Milwaukee Bucks were able to overcome with their size, which came in handy on offense, defense and in rebounding.
The Chicago Bulls’ top three players, Demar DeRozan, Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic, combined to shoot just 21-71 on field goals (29.6 percent). Looking at the Bulls collectively, the team made just seven three-point shots on 37 attempts (18.9 percent).
Until foul trouble grabbed hold of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bulls had no answer for him defensively either, nor Brook Lopez. The Milwaukee Bucks scored 42 points in the paint, 21 of their 34 field goals came in the painted area.
The Bulls did manage five more offensive rebounds, 16 to Milwaukee’s 11, but the Bucks were more efficient with their second chances, the Bucks registered 19 second chance points to Chicago’s 13.
It goes without saying that the Chicago Bulls will need better games from every part of their team outside a welcomed night of efficiency from Coby White, but if the Bulls have any hope of winning a game in this series, their stars will need to emulate that efficiency themselves.