3 players of interest in Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls Game 2
By Dalton Sell
DeMar DeRozan will be a player of interest as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Chicago Bulls in Game 2
Like Middleton, it was a tough shooting night for Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan in this opening game. DeRozan, who averaged a career-high 27.9 points per contest in the regular season, struggled to find a groove all game as he finished with 18 points on 6-of-25 shooting. Following the game, he told reporters, “No way in hell I shoot 6 for 25 again,” meaning the All-Star will look to come out firing in Game 2. The Bucks will look to limit him once again, and it will be fascinating to see how things play out in this second matchup.
A significant reason for DeRozan’s struggles in this opening game was the defensive effort from Milwaukee’s starting backcourt. When guarded by Wesley Matthews in Game 1, DeRozan shot a lackluster 0-of-4 from the field. While DeRozan did draw two shooting fouls from Matthews and earned four free throw attempts because of it, Milwaukee’s starting two-guard did a quality job of keeping him in check. Meanwhile, Holiday did his part as well by holding DeRozan to four points on 2-of-6 field goal shooting when they were matched up, making life difficult for him. This duo will get their share of time guarding DeRozan once again in Game 2, and they must try to replicate the success they had in Game 1.
It is no secret that DeRozan will look to do a sizeable portion of his scoring in the mid-range, as he has proven to be one of the best in the business in that spot. In Game 1, he was a subpar 4-for-15 on his mid-range shots. The Bucks must once again work to keep the pressure on him and prevent the All-Star from getting to his sweet spot. Matthews and Holiday showed that they were capable of doing so in Game 1, but that is in the past now. DeRozan vowed to shoot it better in this series, and it starts with tonight’s Game 2. It will be compelling to see how Matthews and Holiday combat the assault from a motivated DeRozan tonight, as Chicago’s All-Star could be a difference-maker.