The Milwaukee Bucks had to withstand a surge in the second half, but they were still able to take game one against the Chicago Bulls Sunday night 93-86.
It looked like it was going to be a laugher in the early going with the Bucks jumping out to a 21-7 lead and eventually ending the quarter with a 13-point advantage after maxing out at a 16-point lead. The Bulls would chip away at the lead the rest of the way, even take small leads late in the third quarter and midway through the fourth quarter. The Bucks proved their championship pedigree with an 8-0 run late in the fourth quarter that put enough distance between them and the Bulls that their Central Division rivals could not snag their first win against Milwaukee in multiple years.
Giannis Antetkounmpo led the Bucks with 27 points and 16 rebounds, but it was Brook Lopez who was a major factor in this game as he took advantage of a smaller Bulls lineup. He scored 18 points while Jrue Holiday added 15 points. Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 24 points while DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine each scored 18 points in the loss as the team shot just 32 percent from the field, including 7-of-37 from behind the arc.
Game two is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fiserv Forum.
