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Bucks

Over the years, I like to think I&rsquo;ve learned a lot about the game of basketball.&nbsp;
And while I still have a lot to learn, I think I have a pretty solid formula for how one should go about learning about the game of basketball.
It&rsquo;s simple, you watch it (obviously), look through stats, read about it, listen to podcasts about it (like <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>), and most importantly, you take notes. (It doesn't stop after school!)
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And with that being said, let's sift through some of my game notes from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals!
Ball-Screen Coverages
As we are all aware by now, the <a href="https://youtu.be/6pwt3k8PzhU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ball-screen</a> has become an essential cog in the machine that is modern-day NBA offenses. So, it would stand to reason that the coverages deployed against this play type are paramount to the structure of today&rsquo;s defenses.&nbsp;
Boston continued riding the wave from Game 7 against Milwaukee, opting to start the series in a drop against Miami. By doing this, the Celtics were also taking a page from their former coach, Doc Rivers.&nbsp;
As Couper Moorhead <a href="https://www.nba.com/heat/news/heat-76ers-make-miss-spoelstra-rivers-butler-harden-embiid">pointed out</a>, the Philadelphia 76ers chose to guard ball-screens 2-on-2 with Embiid in a drop, which, in turn, allowed their ancillary defenders to tighten up on shooters and avoid forfeiting open three-pointers. (The Heat lead the league in percentage on <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/shots-closest-defender/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CloseDefDistRange=4-6%20Feet%20-%20Open&amp;sort=FG3_PCT&amp;dir=1">open threes</a> in the regular season).&nbsp;
Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro both <a href="https://streamable.com/172a3w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">burned</a> this configuration at times. But for now, I would continue mixing that formation in with switches until the Heat prove they can consistently bury pull-up threes while also fielding a competent defensive lineup.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Miami came out the gates switching screens pretty often, and with little resistance. This led to favorable matchups for the Celtics&rsquo; ball-handlers, who cashed in on these opportunities by way of paint touches and lay-down passes to their newly reincarnated big man, Robert Williams III.
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In the second half, the Heat continued switching when appropriate, but they also started sending two to the ball more often. And that &mdash; coupled with their tenaciousness and supreme length &mdash; led to a lot more turnovers (16 compared to 7 in the first half).&nbsp;
An interesting wrinkle to this is that Boston did a great job of <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1526737206836183041?s=20&amp;t=KodKp7IPvGdsRt1Ph53OPg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parking good three-pointer shooters</a> one pass away from its ball-handlers (something the Brooklyn Nets struggled doing in their first-round matchup against the Celtics). So, the natural adjustment for Boston to make in Game 2 should be having the blitzed initiator slow down and survey his options to find that open shooter when the help comes to him.
Off-Ball Matchup Hunting
When most of us think about matchup hunting, the image that most likely comes to mind is that of Luka Doncic demanding a ball-screen from a teammate being shadowed by a relatively weak defender. Said defender then switches onto Doncic, and the Slovenian begins to play with his food a bit before swallowing that matchup whole.
The problem with this tactic is, if the defense doesn&rsquo;t immediately concede the switch, you're forced to re-screen until the team finally waves the white flag. This tug of war eats up precious seconds from the shot clock. And eventually, if they can get the shot clock to under 10 seconds, even the most matador-esque defender has a solid chance of inducing a suboptimal shot.
A more natural/cohesive way of exploiting weak points is by setting up these mismatches off-ball.
In this <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1527265386034614272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked clip</a>, you see Boston going at Max Strus. To his credit, he&rsquo;s at least a solid defender. He&rsquo;ll serve as their version of a Pat Connaughton &mdash; an occasional victim of the C's attack. Their real target moving forward (the Grayson Allen of this operation) will be Herro.&nbsp;
(*Whispers from the back corner* Notice how Herro was on the bench for the entirety of the Heat&rsquo;s 22-2 run in the third quarter. Coincidence? I think not...)
Boston did some nice things in this department, but the Heat were the true masters of the dark arts in Game 1. Miami spent a bulk of the second half going at the likes of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard by using Butler as a screener whenever one of them was matched up with the ball-handler (particularly when that person was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/appreciating-gabe-vincents-game-one-performance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gabe Vincent</a>).
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Butler used these opportunities to build up steam going downhill (he commandeered an Embiid-ian 18 free throw attempts) or to operate in isolation with an empty corner.&nbsp;
He was magnificent in Game 1, but it's worth pointing out that Pritchard saw 30-plus minutes in this game. With Marcus Smart <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-injury-updates-marcus-smart-probable-game-2-al-horford-doubtful" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed as probable for Game 2</a>, it will be interesting to observe these actions unfold with the Defensive Player of the Year patrolling the battlefield.&nbsp;
Unorthodox Rim Protection
As we mentioned earlier, the Celtics manufactured a ton of dribble penetration in the first half, leading to 42 points in the paint on 21-of-26 shooting.
In the second half, Boston was relegated to 6 points on 3-of-16 shooting from that area of the floor.&nbsp;
What gives?
Well, the Heat aren&rsquo;t blessed with a basketball-swatting machine like Williams IIIl; they finished dead last in the league in blocks per game during the regular season. So to compensate, they turned to less traditional means.&nbsp;
This all started with their decision to send two defenders at the ball, which led to fewer defensive breakdowns in the restricted area. They also <a href="https://streamable.com/e3g4ta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ICE'd</a> a few ball-screens to further enforce that "no middle" philosophy.&nbsp;
Bam Adebayo and <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/04/how-p-j-tucker-is-impacting-the-miami-heat-at-age-36/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PJ Tucker</a> did an admiral job of denying entry passes into the paint, and when those passes did find a way through, the Heat used their length and great hands to swipe at the ball and create turnovers.&nbsp;
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One of the more subtle adjustments in the 2nd half from Miami was the decision to try and preemptively swipe down on the ball rather than contest shots at the rim vertically. If you don't have the firepower to meet them at their apex, you may as well not let them even get there. <a href="https://t.co/55GskSOess">pic.twitter.com/55GskSOess</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1527326345080246273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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That was one of the most crucial adjustments the Heat made in the second half. In the first half, Williams III was making a killing because no one on Miami could match his insane verticality. However, great defenders know (or at least figure out quickly) that when you can&rsquo;t challenge a shot straight up, you need to prevent the shot from taking place altogether. And you do this by getting your hands on it while it's still down by the defender&rsquo;s waist. It&rsquo;s safe to say the Heat have a ton of smart defenders.
Oh, and it also helped that Bam decided to <a href="https://streamable.com/zgpu4a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catapult a few shots into the spacetime continuum</a>.&nbsp;
See, taking notes is important! Look how much you can digest from making notes about things while you watch and read about a game.
Now, get your pen and paper (or reMarkable) out for Game 2 on Thursday.&nbsp;
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Mat Issa shares his observations from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

NBA Eastern Conference Finals notebook: Heat-Celtics Game 1

Khris Middleton might not have been available for the Eastern Conference finals even if the Milwaukee Bucks had made it that far.
The three-time All-Star missed the Bucks&rsquo; last 10 games after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-46750c79bbe5ebbd7da9e84e81d3ef86">spraining the medial collateral ligament </a> in his left knee in Game 2 of a first-round series with the Chicago Bulls. Middleton sat out Milwaukee&rsquo;s entire second-round series with the Boston Celtics, who beat the Bucks in seven games and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-miami-heat-nba-travel-sports-8108c54a1fcb1c58866b81eb87c05489">open the conference finals Tuesday in Miami.</a>
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I would have been ready for tomorrow,&rdquo; Middleton said Monday. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I would have been ready if it went to Game 7. It was almost a day-by-day thing, just waking up and seeing how I felt, seeing if there&rsquo;s swelling in there, and there&rsquo;s a point where you have to make sure the ligament&rsquo;s completely healed.&rdquo;
Middleton&rsquo;s absence was an unfortunate turn of events for the Bucks, who benefited from injuries to other teams during their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-milwaukee-bucks-phoenix-suns-64e76fe1b9f0851dbcf46ad66d90d6de"> title run last season.</a> The Bucks won a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-7c1e79825d167e686b9c132c0c8634e0">seven-game East semifinal</a> with the Brooklyn Nets after injuries knocked out James Harden for most of the first four games and Kyrie Irving for the last three games.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wi-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-ga-state-wire-milwaukee-bucks-nba-14c850e27838fabcb2129f254d1cf745">The Bucks did lose Giannis Antetokounmpo to a knee injury </a> for two games in the East finals, but he returned <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-basketball-milwaukee-bucks-atlanta-hawks-477d3e4a0a7cf768cf2ab47ce24a5aa7">to become MVP of the NBA Finals.</a>
&ldquo;It just wasn&rsquo;t our time,&rdquo; forward Bobby Portis said. &ldquo;All teams that go through a playoff stretch have luck along the way. We had our luck last year in some series that we went through with teams that went through some injuries.&rdquo;
Boston was missing forward/center Robert Williams the last four games due to a bone bruise in his right knee, but that only underscored the Celtics&rsquo; superior depth.
Williams was replaced in the starting lineup by Grant Williams, who scored a career-high 27 points and tied a Game 7 record Sunday by sinking seven 3-pointers in the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-miami-heat-boston-celtics-nba-travel-7d6fd7328f8ecf8df8dfb59001a9ce22"> Celtics&rsquo; series-clinching 109-81 victory.</a> None of the Bucks&rsquo; role players stepped up in a similar manner.
That forced the Bucks to depend even more on Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday.
Antetokounmpo was the first player to have 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a playoff series. Holiday, who attempted more than 21 shots in a game just twice during the regular season, averaged 22 shots per game in the Celtics series.
&ldquo;If we had Khris, not that I&rsquo;m trying to make excuses, but maybe a different story,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said after Sunday&rsquo;s game. &ldquo;But we gave everything we had. Guys came together. We realize, &lsquo;Hey, we&rsquo;ve got to get better. We&rsquo;ve got to get better as a team. We&rsquo;ve got to want it more. We&rsquo;ve got to work on our games.&rsquo; &ldquo;
They also must improve their playoff 3-point shooting.
Milwaukee ranked fourth in the league in 3-pointers per game (14.1) and fifth in 3-point percentage (36.6%) during the regular season. The Bucks made 38% of their 3-point attempts in their first-round series.
That all changed in the second round as the Celtics made nearly twice as many 3-pointers as the Bucks. Milwaukee went 57 of 204 (27.9%) from beyond the arc while Boston was 110 of 292 (37.6%).
The Bucks&rsquo; challenge is finding the right guys to complement the trio of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday.
Milwaukee&rsquo;s depth took a hit with the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-lifestyle-milwaukee-bucks-houston-cfdf9c93a937a10201923495443db394">offseason departure of P.J. Tucker, </a> now with Miami. The Bucks&rsquo; top offseason addition was Grayson Allen, who played well in the regular season and in a first-round playoff series against Chicago. But after going 3 of 6 on 3-point attempts against Boston in Game 1, Allen went 2 of 18 the next six games.
&ldquo;In Game 1, I got three good open ones and knocked them down,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;It felt like (Games) 2-7, the easy catch-and-shoot, spot-ups were very few and very hard to come by.&rdquo;
At the trade deadline, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-los-angeles-clippers-sacramento-kings-nba-sports-5afdea183f8000fd6c8c972baf968f7c"> the Bucks sent Donte DiVincenzo to Sacramento as part of a four-team deal that brought them Serge Ibaka, </a> who fell out of the rotation by April. Portis and Pat Connaughton have player options for next season and could opt for free agency.
The Bucks still should continue competing for titles as long as their top three guys remain healthy, though age offers cause for concern.
The 27-year-old Antetokounmpo was one of the younger players in the Bucks&rsquo; rotation this season. Holiday turns 32 next month and Middleton turns 31 this summer. Brook Lopez is 34, Wesley Matthews 35 and George Hill 36.
This playoff exit should add motivation.
&ldquo;Hopefully, this moment, instead of thinking that we lost something, we can gain and learn in order for us to put ourselves in position to win another championship,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said.

Khris Middleton might not have been available for the Eastern Conference finals even if the Bucks had made it that far.

Middleton might have remained out even if Bucks had advanced

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven three-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 three-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Boston will face the top-seeded Miami Heat beginning Tuesday in a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat beat the Celtics in six games in that series at Walt Disney World.
The Celtics trailed early but outscored the Bucks 61-38 in the second half to cruise to the victory. Boston used a whopping 54-point advantage from behind the arc to improve to 25-9 in decisive seventh games.
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The Boston Celtics made 22 threes against the Milwaukee Bucks, which is the most made threes in a Game 7 in NBA history. The previous record was 20 threes by the Los Angeles Clippers in their Game 7 win against the Dallas Mavericks on June 6, 2021. <a href="https://t.co/eX95eqTJ7S">pic.twitter.com/eX95eqTJ7S</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1525974530325458944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Bucks are now 3-9. They went 4-for-33 (12.1%) from the three-point line. That&rsquo;s the second-worst three-point percentage in a playoff game ever (minimum 30 attempts).
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists. But he was just 3-of-11 in the paint in the second half, including 1-of-6 in the fourth quarter. Jrue Holiday added 21 points and 8 assists. Brook Lopez finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Williams finished 7 for 18 behind the arc as the Celtics finished the comeback after dropping Game 5 at home to fall into a 3-2 hole.
Boston started the second half on an 11-4 run to open a 59-47 lead.
It was 63-53 when Tatum went to the bench after being whistled for his fourth foul. But the Celtics rallied without him, outscoring the Bucks 16-11 the rest of the quarter to take a 79-64 lead to the fourth.
The Bucks led the entire first quarter as Antetokounmpo scored or assisted on 24 of Milwaukee&rsquo;s 26 first-quarter points.
He ended the period with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to help the Bucks grab a 26-20 lead.
Boston began to claw back in the second quarter, drawing a third foul on Bobby Portis at the 8:49 mark. TV cameras showed him tossing his goggles as he went to the bench area. He&rsquo;d been wearing the goggles since suffering a right eye abrasion in Game 2 of Milwaukee&rsquo;s first-round series against the Bulls.
With Portis on the bench, the Celtics took their first lead of the game on a dunk by Al Horford that punctuated a 12-2 run.
Boston led 45-43 in the final minute of the half when Tatum was called for an offensive foul on Grayson Allen &ndash; Tatum&rsquo;s third foul of the game.
Following an unsuccessful challenge by Celtics coach Ime Udoka, the teams exchanged misses. But after Smart&rsquo;s steal near midcourt, Antetokounmpo fouled Smart as he attempted a last-second, three-point heave. Smart connected on each of his three free throws to give Boston the 48-43 halftime lead.
Celtics center Robert Williams III was available to play after missing three-straight games with soreness and a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee, but he didn&rsquo;t play.
TIP-INS
Bucks: There was a pregame moment of silence held for the victims of mass shootings this past week in Milwaukee and Buffalo. &hellip; Khris Middleton missed his 10th straight playoff game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. &hellip; Milwaukee missed their final 11 three-point attempts of the first half.
Celtics: Were 9-of-22 from the 3-point line in the first half. &hellip; Patriots team owner Robert Kraft sat courtside, along with Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and receiver Kendrick Bourne.

Led by huge output from underrated role players, the Boston Celtics eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks from the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Grant Williams has 27, Celtics make 22 threes in Game 7 rout of Bucks

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; The NBA's long regular season can be tedious, but make no mistake, it matters.
Just ask the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns &mdash; two teams who have home-court advantage in Game 7 of their respective second-round NBA playoff series on Sunday thanks to superior regular-season records.
The Celtics host the Milwaukee Bucks a few hours before the Suns host the Dallas Mavericks in what could be a drama-filled day.
&ldquo;It means everything," Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said of getting Game 7 in Boston. "The best atmosphere in the NBA. Game 7s are the biggest and best games. Looking forward to it, truly.
"It&rsquo;s basketball &ndash; biggest moments, biggest stage. What it boils down to is now go out there and just have fun.&rdquo;
Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker echoed those sentiments.
&ldquo;We worked all season to have home-court advantage and get the last game in our house,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;It's exciting. It's Game 7. I've never been in a Game 7, so this will be fun.&rdquo;
The Mavericks have a particularly difficult task in their game against the Suns. The home team has won each of the first six games of the series, and many of those games have been blowouts.
&ldquo;Our fan base is great for us, their fan base is great for them,&rdquo; Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson said. &ldquo;Home-court advantage is a real thing. Respect to both fan bases making it difficult for the away team.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s the second consecutive year the Mavericks have played a Game 7. Dallas lost to the Clippers in Los Angeles in last year's contest after the visiting team won the first six games of the series.
The Celtics and Bucks have alternated victories throughout their series. By that pattern, it should be the Bucks' turn to get the win. But there's little doubt Boston's home court will be loud and hostile on Sunday.
&ldquo;For me, I&rsquo;ve just got to go play," Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "I want my teammates to enjoy the moment.&rdquo;
BUCKS AT CELTICS
Series tied 3-3. Game 7, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: These teams have alternated victories throughout the series, with the Bucks winning the odd-numbered games and the Celtics taking the even-numbered ones. The road teams are 4-2 and have won each of the last three games. Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo have been spectacular. Antetokounmpo is averaging 35.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists in this series, while Tatum is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5 assists. Tatum had 46 points and Antetokounmpo 44 in the Celtics&rsquo; 108-95 Game 6 victory in Milwaukee, marking just the fifth time opponents have scored at least 44 points in the same playoff game. The Celtics are 24-9 all-time in Game 7s, compared to 3-8 for the Bucks.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: The 3-point comparison. In Boston&rsquo;s three victories, the Celtics have shot 41.5% from 3-point range and have outscored the Bucks 153-57 from beyond the arc. In the Celtics&rsquo; three losses, they have a much narrower 111-102 advantage from 3-point range and have made just 32.5% of their attempts.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Bucks F Khris Middleton has missed nine straight playoff game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Celtics F/C Robert Williams III has missed three straight games with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee and is questionable for Game 7. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a pain-tolerance thing,&rdquo; Boston coach Ime Udoka said. &ldquo;Soreness, swelling is down. It&rsquo;s just a matter of extension, inflexion and if the pain is gone basically with the bone bruise. Nothing structural. It&rsquo;s legitimately day to day.&rdquo;
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Bucks G Grayson Allen: After delivering a 22-point outburst and a 27-point performance in back-to-back games when the Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls in the first round, Allen hasn&rsquo;t been nearly as effective in this series despite moving into a starting role in Game 3. He has scored a total of 23 points over his last five games and has shot 2 of 14 from 3-point range during that stretch. Allen shot 1 of 7 overall and scored three points in Game 6.
MAVERICKS AT SUNS
Series tied 3-3. Game 7, 8 p.m. EDT, TNT
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The home team has won each of the first six games in this series, which now moves back to Phoenix for the final game. Though the series has been close, the individual games often have been blowouts: Three of the six have been decided by at least 20 points. Mavs star Luka Doncic has averaged more than 32 points per game in the series despite shooting just 29.6% from 3-point range. Doncic has been productive, but his supporting cast has struggled on the road against the Suns. Phoenix is shooting nearly 50% for the series but has struggled with turnovers. Devin Booker leads the Suns with 25.5 points per game.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Suns PG Chris Paul. The 12-time All-Star is having a difficult series, averaging just 6.5 assists, which is well below his regular-season average. The 37-year-old has had a handful of spectacular performances in the postseason over the past two years and the Suns might need another one on Sunday.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Doncic appears to have a left thigh injury but he has downplayed the severity. It's something that bears watching in Game 7. Said Doncic: &ldquo;I just felt like a little pop in the beginning and then when I was warming up it was kind of OK. Now it&rsquo;s a little bit worse. But it&rsquo;s nothing serious.&rdquo;
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Suns. Phoenix is trying to make it back to the NBA Finals for a second straight season and had the league's best regular-season record. Losing in the second round of the playoffs would be a major disappointment. Dallas doesn't have nearly as great expectations.

On Sunday, four teams play in two huge Game 7s to round out the competitors for this year's Conference Finals.

Pair of Game 7s: Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns happy to be home

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points apiece and led the Boston Celtics&rsquo; fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night that tied their Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.
The two teams have alternated victories in this best-of-seven series, which continues Wednesday with Game 5 in Boston.
Horford scored 16 points and Tatum 12 in the fourth quarter alone to help the Celtics outscore the defending NBA champion Bucks 43-28 in the final period. Horford&rsquo;s 30 points were a career playoff high for the 35-year-old veteran.
Tatum scored eight points and Horford had six during a 14-2 run that put the Celtics ahead for good and gave them a 106-96 advantage with 3:33 left. The Bucks wouldn&rsquo;t cut the margin below six the rest of the way.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and five assists for the Bucks.
Tatum had 13 rebounds and five assists while bouncing back from a poor Game 3, when he had 10 points and shot 4 for 19. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each added 18 points for the Celtics.
Horford sparked the rally after Boston trailed by 11 late in the third quarter.
The Celtics tied the game when Horford capped a 10-0 run by driving the baseline and dunking while drawing a foul on Antetokounmpo with 9:51 left. Horford, who normally isn&rsquo;t very expressive on the court, celebrated the dunk by screaming and pumping his fists.
As Horford landed after completing his dunk, his left arm hit Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s face, resulting in a technical foul. Jrue Holiday and Horford each sank free throws to make it 81-all.
Horford was just getting started.
After Milwaukee&rsquo;s Brook Lopez scored the game&rsquo;s next four points to put the Bucks back ahead, the Celtics responded with a 7-0 run and broke an 85-all tie on Horford&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 8:08 left.
The Bucks regained the lead 94-92 when Antetokounmpo hit a driving layup and drew a foul on Horford with 6:02. But after Antetokounmpo missed the free throw, Horford started the 14-2 run that put the Celtics in control.
Horford hit a corner 3-pointer to put the Celtics back ahead with 5:40 left and followed that with a conventional three-point play that made it 98-94 with 5:09 remaining. Later in the spurt, Tatum had a conventional three-point play and a 3-point basket on consecutive possessions.&nbsp;
The Celtics were playing without post player Robert Williams because of soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. The Bucks played a seventh straight game without three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka expressed optimism before Tuesday&rsquo;s game that Williams would be available for Game 4. The Bucks haven&rsquo;t given an indication on when Middleton might return.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Grant Williams replaced Robert Williams in the lineup and made his first career playoff start.
Bucks: Grayson Allen remained in the starting lineup after going scoreless in 25 minutes while making his first career playoff start Saturday. Allen scored the game&rsquo;s first basket and finished with seven points. ... The Bucks outrebounded the Celtics 48-38.

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points apiece and led the Celtics’ fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory.

Horford, Tatum help Celtics even series with 116-108 victory

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and made the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a frantic flurry of shots in the final seconds to beat the Boston Celtics 103-101 on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.
The defending champion Bucks lead the best-of-7 series 2-1, with Game 4 on Monday night in Milwaukee.
Boston trailed 103-100 when Marcus Smart was fouled by Jrue Holiday just before attempting a potential tying 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining. Smart made the first free throw, then missed the second intentionally &mdash; flinging it at the rim.
That&rsquo;s when things got wild.
Smart got the rebound but missed his putback attempt. Boston&rsquo;s Robert Williams got that rebound but also missed. Boston&rsquo;s Al Horford was just to the right of the basket when he converted his putback opportunity, but the shot came just after the buzzer sounded. Replays confirmed Horford didn&rsquo;t beat the clock.
Antetokounmpo also had 12 rebounds and eight assists. His driving finger roll helped the Bucks pull back ahead after blowing a 14-point lead.
After trailing by 13 with less than 10 minutes left, the Celtics pulled ahead 100-99 and took their first lead since early in their third quarter on Jaylen Brown&rsquo;s two free throws with 1:49 remaining.
Both teams failed to score on their next possessions before Antetokounmpo put the Bucks back ahead. Antetokounmpo then blocked Brown&rsquo;s driving layup attempt, leading to Holiday's basket that made it 103-100 with 11.2 seconds remaining.
Holiday had 25 points.
Brown led the Celtics with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Horford had 22 points and 16 rebounds.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Robert Williams went to the locker room in the third quarter after taking an elbow to the face from Milwaukee's Bobby Portis as they tangled under the basket while pursuing the ball. Williams returned later in the third. ... Reserve forward Sam Hauser, who had played two minutes in each of the series&rsquo; first two games, was unavailable Saturday due to an injured right shoulder. Celtics coach Ime Udoka said Hauser took a fall in practice. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be OK long-term,&rdquo; Udoka said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just something where he could be out a few weeks based on that.&rdquo;
Bucks: Reserve guard George Hill played for the first time this postseason after recovering from a strained abdominal muscle. ... Grayson Allen made his first career playoff start Saturday as part of a lineup change after the Bucks posted their lowest point total of the season in a 109-86 Game 2 loss. Portis moved into a bench role.

The Bucks managed to steal a close Game 3 against the Boston Celtics.

Bucks edge Celtics 103-101 after frantic final second

The Boston Celtics are the NBA's biggest shapeshifters.
Boston entered the second round of the 2022 postseason coming off a dominant 4-0 sweep against the Brooklyn Nets, a team that many pegged as preseason championship favorites. The Celtics appeared mostly unphased by Brooklyn's glossy star power, stymying Kevin Durant&mdash;and to a lesser degree, Kyrie Irving&mdash;with a sea of arms and defense working on a string. Boston helped liberally off Brooklyn's non-shooters to throw two and sometimes three bodies at Kevin Durant. Forcing Durant into becoming a passer produced an uncharacteristic playoff performance, a theme I detailed in both <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2022/4/23/23037554/as-brooklyns-best-all-around-player-its-time-for-kevin-durant-to-show-it">writing</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtTgfjtQUk">video</a>.
It wasn't necessarily surprising to see Ime Udoka carry over that strategy into the second round versus a Milwaukee Bucks team missing its biggest release valve, Khris Middleton, who remains out with a knee sprain. Hypothetically, halting Giannis Antetokounmpo's production with a slew of double-teams would slow Milwaukee's 5th-ranked regular-season offense. To their credit, Udoka's ploy worked; Giannis mustered 24 points on 25 shots during a fairly inefficent Game 1.
There was one problem.
Much has been made about Giannis' improvements as a free-throw shooter and mid-post scorer this season, but there's a real argument to be made that his biggest leap has come from his passing.&nbsp;He showcased that growth in Game 1, mapping out 12 assists amid significant ball pressure. It was his second-highest assist total in a playoff game ever.
Milwaukee brought its A-game in terms of spacing, assuring that Antetokounmpo was flanked by his strongest shooting options on the same side of the floor. When Boston brought in help from the entry passer on post-ups, Giannis quickly sussed out the correct read to the open shooter. Marcus Smart turned his head for just a brief second to take a peak at Grant Williams battling with Antetokounmpo, and low and behold, the ball was basically already in Grayson Allen's hands for a quick strike catch-and-release three.
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Giannis punished even the slightest of micro-hesitations from Boston. Here, Jaylen Brown is gapped at the nail to take away the drive going middle for Giannis, but when he leaned over ever so slightly to stunt at the ball, Antetokounmpo flipped a kick-out pass to Pat Connaughton the moment Brown's left foot made contact with the floor.&nbsp;
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On drives to the rim, Boston made it clear their intent was to shadow the two-time MVP in the event that he found a way to bruise his way to the middle with his signature EuroGyro-Step or whiplash-inducing spin-move. Here, Grant Williams stalks Antetokounmpo all the way down to the restricted circle, and Giannis heaves one of the nastiest passes of the postseason to Bobby Portis at the top of the key. I mean, goodness gracious. Look at this dime!
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The area in which Antetokounmpo discerned himself the most&mdash;at least in Game 1&mdash;from Durant was that he trusted his teammates early and often. Boston preyed on KD's tendency to overdribble into a crowd from the top of the key instead of getting off the ball early and relocating for better shots. Giannis, meanwhile, understood the full magnitude of his gravity from the jump and put full faith in his championship-winning teammates to complete possessions.
Here, Boston builds a "wall" by basically having Jayson Tatum stay attached to the left elbow as if he's in a zone alongside Al Horford at the right elbow. Collectively, their goal is to completely erase any and all room for Giannis to burrow his way to the cup. But in doing so, Tatum hands off Bobby Portis to Jaylen Brown, who is now tasked with keeping tabs on Portis and Allen in the strong-side corner. Suddenly without a matchup, Portis tip-toes underneath the rim, Giannis quickly whips a pass his way and when both Brown and Robert Williams lurch forward to clean up the mistake, it's a three-pointer for Connaughton.
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Overall, 7 of Antetokounmpo's 12 assists generated three-pointers, and more than half of Milwaukee's 12 made threes came from its star's willingness to share. The fascinating thing is, the Bucks left food on the table. Giannis had 17 potential assists in Game 1, which measures any pass to a teammate who shoots within 1 dribble of receiving the ball, per NBA's stat glossary.
Clearly, after getting dogged by as many as 15 points late in the fourth quarter, Boston had to go back to the drawing board. That's where Ime Udoka tends to shine.
Boston entered Game 2 with a completely different approach. Rather than showing Antetokounmpo multiple bodies on the catch, the Celtics entrusted their brawniest, strongest and most versatile defenders to hold their own.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re guarding him well one-on-one but want to mix it up and give him different looks,&rdquo; Udoka said after Game 2. &ldquo;I felt after Game 1 that we helped inappropriately at times and gave up some of those 3s when guys were in good position to guard him, or he kind of baited a little bit. So we want to be a little more deliberate when we went on him, on what situations in Game 2, and I felt like we did that.&rdquo;
Udoka's chosen soldiers to grapple with perhaps the league's most dominant interior force were Al Horford and Grant Williams. Each presented different strategies and attributes to tangle with Milwaukee's Greek God, yet collectively they forced him into 8-of-22 shooting and 3 turnovers in Game 2.&nbsp;
In one corner, we had Williams, who despite having a 5-inch height disadvantage, battled Antetokounmpo with a low center of gravity and strong base. The 22-year-old accepted Giannis' low-post forrays using a deep and low defensive stance, absorbing his body blows like a PVA sponge. Despite the defending Finals MVP's best efforts, he couldn't move the 236-pound micro-center, who used those aggressive shoulder bumps to knock Antetokounmpo off his spots. Williams was prepared for every move, playing a defensive boxing game like, say, Floyd Mayweather.
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(One thing to note in both of these clips: Notice how it's Jrue Holiday instead of Grayson Allen as the nearby entry passer for Antetokounmpo, who obviously isn't as threatening from deep one pass away. As noted earlier, Milwaukee displayed hyperawareness to its spacing in Game 1, yet waned in this category in the second of the two games. This is an area of improvement for the Bucks going forward.)
Regardless, Williams' immovability frustrated Antetokounmpo. This elbow to the face was a reflection of just how anchored Williams was down low:
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"We talked about guarding him a little bit more 1-on-1. We feel like we have the defensive guys to do it," Udoka said. "Grant's a big part of that. His versatility is something I talk about. He's like a mini Al (Horford) out there. His versatility to be able to switch onto guards and guard (Giannis) 1-on-1 in the post and be physical and frustrate him to some extent is what we need with a player like that. That's one of Grant's main strengths is guarding guys like that."
In the other corner, we had Horford, who may not present the same level of mass as his co-Giannis deterrent, Williams, but instead blended an impressive mesh of size (6'9"), defensive IQ, and hip flexibility to keep pace with Antetokounmpo. Williams defended Giannis with sponginess, while Horford moved and hounded the Bucks' star like a shadow. Horford is afforded the ability to pick up the Greek Freak much higher up the floor than Williams. Horford's immaculate footwork that could set high-scores on DDR arcade games and a 7'1" daylight-erasing wingspan work hand-in-hand in this regard.&nbsp;
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Continuing the boxing analogy, Horford could best be compared to someone like Tyson Fury, who moves in a way that shouldn't be possible for someone his size, perpetually remaining two steps ahead of his opponent. Exquisite fundamentals and uncanny flexibility shape both of these athletes' impressive careers.
Plus, Horford is well-versed in the Giannis assignment after meeting up three separate times in the postseason (2018, 2019 and 2022). Below, he's all too prepared for Antetokounmpo's spin move, flipping his hips quickly and then swiping down on the ball for a strip-steal to ignite the fastbreak.
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&ldquo;Getting hits early, meeting him around free-throw line area, not letting him bury you too deep,&rdquo; said Udoka after Game 2, echoing the tenets of Horford's defensive strategy versus Antetokounmpo. &ldquo;You want to push his catches out, that&rsquo;s the first part. Make him do his work early, and I think they did that, bodied up and didn&rsquo;t let him get deep position."
Horford has held Giannis to just 6-of-22 shooting in the series, by far the best showing of any player that has defended the Greek Freak in these playoffs for more than 10 partial possessions. In fact, Antetokounmpo's 27% shooting would be his third-worst performance against a defensive matchup who saw more than 50 partial matchups in the playoffs since the NBA started tracking this data, second to only Serge Ibaka in 2019 (18.8%) and Bam Adebayo in 2021 (18.8%).&nbsp;
Ultimately, it's likely that Antetokounmpo finds his way out of this Lucky Charm-sized hole. For as much as Boston has frustrated him defensively, a full 20.5% dropoff in true shooting from the regular season to the postseason feels almost inconceivable and borderline improbable. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time that Giannis problem-solved his way out of a difficult matchup. Funny enough, his most famous time doing so occured in the first-round of the 2019 playoffs against the very same Al Horford and Boston Celtics.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Giannis, he always figures things out,&rdquo; said head coach Mike Budenholzer after the Game 2 loss.
Regardless, Boston's defense deserves its flowers. This is now the second top-3 player that has been utterly exhausted by this versatile and gritty unit. The Celtics, helmed by a defensive whiz in Ime Udoka, have showcased the requisite adjustability and creativity to withstand the different challenges found within the postseason crucible.
Thus far, they really haven't missed a beat.

It's time to give the Boston Celtics' defense the credit they deserve for holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to historically-low numbers.

The Celtics' defense is the story of the 2022 NBA playoffs

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo had his second career postseason triple-double, scoring 24 points with 13 rebounds and 12 assists on Sunday to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 101-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.
Jrue Holiday had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the defending NBA champions, and Bobby Portis had 15 points and 11 boards to help the Bucks swipe the home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Boston.
Jayson Tatum scored 21 points and Jaylen Brown had 12, but the two Boston stars combined to shoot 10 for 31 in the game. Al Horford added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics.
After shutting down Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in a four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, Boston couldn&rsquo;t stop Antetokounmpo -- even with Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart shaking off a shoulder injury.
The two-time NBA MVP scored eight straight Milwaukee points at the end of the first half to take a double-digit lead into the break. Boston was within seven in the final minute of the third quarter before going without a bucket for more than four minutes while the Bucks scored 11 of the next 14 points to open a 17-point lead.
Boston won 26 of its last 32 games in the regular season and was the only team to sweep its first-round playoff series. Milwaukee advanced by beating the Bulls in five games.
The Celtics led by as many as eight before Milwaukee scored the last 10 points of the first quarter. Antetokounmpo scored the last six of the half to give the Bucks a 56-46 lead at the break.
THAT SMARTS
Smart <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1520827960248438784">scurried off the floor</a> with 1:12 left in the first half, in obvious pain with his right arm dangling limply beside him, after taking a swipe from Jevon Carter in the lane.
The team said during halftime that Smart had a shoulder &ldquo;stinger&rdquo; and a right quad bruise. He received a big cheer when he came out of the tunnel for the start of the second half, and finished with 10 points and six assists in 33 minutes.
Midway through the third quarter, Robert Williams III went down at midcourt after taking a hit to the groin. He went to the tunnel but returned after the timeout.
TIP-INS
The Bucks were without Khris Middleton, who is expected to miss at least two games with a sprained medical collateral ligament in his left knee. George Hill also sat out with an abdominal strain. ... Celtics coach Ime Udoka successfully challenged a third-quarter foul call against Grant Williams when Grayson Allen sprawled to the floor after a 3-point attempt. ... Antetokounmpo shot 1 for 6 in the third quarter.

Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo's triple-double, the Milwaukee Bucks downed the Boston Celtics in Game 1.

Giannis triple-double helps Bucks beat Celtics 101-89

The Warriors and Bucks enter Wednesday in need of one more win to wrap up their respective first-round playoff series.
Golden State&rsquo;s Game 4 loss at Denver on Sunday denied it a sweep over a Nuggets team that dropped each of the first three games.
Milwaukee has posted back-to-back dominant wins over Chicago and holds a 3-1 lead despite continuing to play without Khris Middleton, whose knee injury in Game 2 of the series forced the defending champions to adjust.
Both front-running teams remain confident as they prepare to play in their home arenas.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes playing a closeout game for the first time in two seasons was beneficial to his team, even though it lost.
He also thinks not letting Denver be as physical as it was in Game 4 will be key.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot tougher to play against physicality when every possession is in the half court,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;Our defense can help our offense. Not fouling, letting the game flow is big advantage for us.&rdquo;
The Bucks have endured without Middleton thanks in part to Bobby Portis. He is averaging 16 points per game and shooting 50% from the field (42% from 3-point range) since being inserted into the starting lineup.
&ldquo;The guys have been competing,&rdquo; coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;With or without Khris, when we&rsquo;re good defensively, that usually bleeds into our offense. While we can always get better, I think the defense has been what we&rsquo;ve leaned on pretty hard here the last couple of games.&rdquo;
With a second-round matchup against Boston looming, defense will continue to be paramount.
&ldquo;Everybody has stepped up in his absence,&rdquo; Wesley Matthews said. &ldquo;Obviously you can&rsquo;t just have one person fill what Khris does.&rdquo;
Here is a look at Wednesday night&rsquo;s games:
BULLS AT BUCKS
Milwaukee leads 3-1. Game 5, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT
NEED TO KNOW: After the two teams split two close games in Milwaukee, the Bucks have taken command of this series with two lopsided victories in Chicago, a 111-81 drubbing in Game 3 and a 119-95 blowout in Game 4. The Bucks are 1-1 at home, matching their total number of home playoff losses from their title run last season.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Bucks G Grayson Allen. After scoring a total of three points in the first two games, Allen had 22 in Game 3 and 27 in Game 4. Allen reached the 20-point mark just five times in the regular season, and only twice since mid-November. He has shot 11 of 14 over his last two games.
INJURY WATCH: The Bulls announced G Zach LaVine was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-billy-donovan-37770becc7bfe4b8e59606b56639a7fd">placed in the health and safety protocols</a> and didn&rsquo;t travel with the team to Milwaukee Tuesday. But he will continue to test in hopes of being cleared in time for Game 5. Guard Alex Caruso also remains in the concussion protocol, also leaving his status uncertain for Game 5. ... Middleton will miss a third straight game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Bucks G George Hill hasn&rsquo;t played yet in the postseason and remains out with an abdominal strain.
PRESSURE IS ON: The Bulls' defense. Chicago&rsquo;s ability to force turnovers and disrupt Milwaukee's offense made this series competitive early, but the Bucks picked the Bulls apart over the last two games. The Bucks shot 52.3% overall and went 17 of 33 on 3-point attempts in Game 4. This series ends Wednesday if the Bulls don&rsquo;t get back to defending the way they did in the first two games.
NUGGETS AT WARRIORS
Golden State leads 3-1. Game 5, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT
NEED TO KNOW: A late 3-pointer by Will Barton and 37 points from Nikola Jokic helped the Nuggets to a 126-121 win in Game 4. But they nearly squandered a 17-point lead, which doesn&rsquo;t bode well for Denver. Golden State won by 16 and 20 points at home in Games 1 and 2.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Stephen Curry. The All-Star has come off the bench for the Warriors in each of the first four games, with Kerr steadily increasing his minutes following the foot injury that sidelined him late in the regular season. He was up to 37 minutes in Game 4 and has led Golden State in scoring each of the last three games.
INJURY WATCH: Kerr said Curry has &ldquo;no limitations&rdquo; on his minutes. But he declined to say whether Curry will start in Game 5.
PRESSURE IS ON: The Nuggets, who have dropped three straight at Golden State dating back to the regular season. A loss would drop them to 1-8 in their last two playoff series after being swept by Phoenix in the conference semifinals last season.
___
AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley and Steve Megargee contributed.

The Warriors and Bucks enter Wednesday in need of one more win to wrap up their respective first-round playoff series.

Bucks, Warriors return home looking to close out series

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso is in the NBA&rsquo;s concussion protocol and is questionable for Game 5 of the first-round playoff series at Milwaukee, coach Billy Donovan said Monday.
The Bucks lead 3-1 and will try to wrap up the series at home on Wednesday. Milwaukee won the past two games in Chicago by a combined 54 points.
Caruso took an inadvertent hit to the face from the Bucks&rsquo; Jevon Carter while trying to get around a pick by Giannis Antetokounmpo late in the second quarter on Sunday. He exited with a bloody nose.
Arguably Chicago&rsquo;s best defender, Caruso was limited to 41 games in the regular season after spending his first four years with the Los Angeles Lakers. He missed seven weeks with a broken wrist following a hard foul by the Bucks&rsquo; Grayson Allen during a game in Milwaukee in January.

Alex Caruso took an inadvertent hit to the face from Jevon Carter while trying to get around a pick by Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Bulls’ Caruso in concussion protocol ahead of Bucks' Game 5

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Grayson Allen set playoff career highs with 27 points and six 3-pointers, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 119-95 on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.
Jrue Holiday scored 26, and the Bucks made it look easy again after beating the Bulls by 30 and handing them the most lopsided home playoff loss in franchise history. The defending NBA champions led by 22 early in the third quarter and steadied themselves after a push by Chicago. They&rsquo;ll try to wrap up the series in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Allen delivered another huge effort off the bench, surpassing his previous postseason scoring high of 22 points in Game 3. He made 10 of 12 shots and nailed 6 of 7 3s, with Chicago fans booing just about every time he touched the ball.
Antetokounmpo had seven assists.
Holiday made five 3s. Bobby Portis added 14 points and 10 rebounds in his second straight start with Khris Middleton sidelined because of a sprained left knee, and the Bucks beat the Bulls for the 19th time in 21 games.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 24 points and 13 assists, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 and Patrick Williams finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Allen made 4 of 5 3-pointers and scored 16 as the Bucks grabbed a 56-41 halftime lead.
It was 54-39 with just over two minutes left after he and Holiday nailed back-to-back 3s. Chicago's Patrick Williams dunked, and Allen missed from up top after making his first four 3s. But he banked in a floater in the final minute to make it a 15-point game.
Portis nailed a 3 and Holiday buried a 30-footer, bumping it to 63-41 in the opening minute of the third. The lead was down to 68-60 midway through the quarter after a 17-3 run by Chicago.
But the Bucks answered by scoring 11 straight. Antetokounmpo had six of those points, including a dunk to make it 79-60, and fed Allen for a 3 after blocking LaVine during that stretch.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Portis and LaVine had to be separated in the closing minutes of the game after they got tangled and had a heated exchange near the Bulls' basketball. Portis wore goggles again to protect his right eye. Portis suffered an abrasion in Game 2 when he was hit by Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson as they went for a rebound. ... G George Hill (abdominal strain) missed his fifth game in a row. And coach Mike Budenholzer doesn't anticipate him returning on Wednesday. &ldquo;I don't think I'd put him in the day-to-day category,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think he's gonna need a little more time. Hopefully, it's shorter rather than longer.&rdquo; ... G Luca Vildoza was unavailable because of a non-COVID illness. The 26-year-old Argentinean played eight minutes in Game 3 in his NBA debut, after signing with the Bucks on April 6.
Bulls: G Alex Caruso left the game with a facial injury. ... Chicago has lost six straight home playoff games since beating Cleveland in Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference semifinals. Chicago dropped that series in six games. ... Assistant coach Maurice Cheeks was back after missing Game 3 with a non-COVID-19 illness.
UP NEXT
Game 5 is Wednesday at Milwaukee.

Grayson Allen scored a playoff career-high 27 points to help lead Milwaukee to a Game 4 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Allen scores 27, Bucks beat Bulls 119-95 to take 3-1 lead

Even before the Khris Middleton injury, the first-round matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks was hindered by an injury. The defending champion Bucks were favored against the Bulls at least partially due to an injury to Chicago's starting point guard, Lonzo Ball.
The Bulls are fairly reliant on Ball. They started the season 27-13 but won only 19 of their final 42 games after losing Ball to a knee injury. Knowing this, it was suprise that things looked relatively bleak for the Bulls in this first-round matchup.
But an injury to Middleton seemed to level the playing field. MCL injuries typically results in players missing between a few days and eight weeks, meaning that Middleton is out for the at least the remainder of the series against Chicago.
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Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton has an MCL sprain in his left knee and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, sources tell ESPN. Bucks will have to play without Middleton for the rest of this first-round series against Chicago.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1517268809752666113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2022</a>
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With Middleton out for the immediate future, Milwaukee must secure at least two wins in their next four games against Chicago. After a 30-point victory in game three, doing so no longer seems like too tall a task.
Still, winning games without one of your best players is never easy, and the Bucks clearly have greater aspirations than simply advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. A second-round matchup against (presumably) the Boston Celtics and their stifling defense would be a real test, with or without Middelton.&nbsp;
But before we look ahead to future matchups, Milwaukee must figure out how to get past Chicago. How can the Bucks make up for Middleton's absense? It begins with their MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Of course, the pressure on Antetokounmpo will be greater. Antetokounmpo is an MVP-caliber player in the prime of his career. The 27-year-old was great in the Bucks&rsquo; game three win, posting a plus-36 while scoring 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
But in Game 4 and beyond, the load will get heavier. Antetokounmpo may even have to consistently channel his Game 6 gem from laslt year's NBA Finals, in which he scored 50 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
But modern NBA defenses are great at succeeding against a team with only one dominant player,&nbsp; especially one as hindered from beyond the arc as Antetokounmpo. So, even if the Greek Freak plays like the unstoppable champion he proved himself to be a year ago, the Bucks will need significantly more from a number of their role players, beginning with Jrue Holiday.
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Jrue Holiday
With Middleton out, Holiday is the obvious candidate to step up. In Game 3, Holiday, scored 16 points and dished out 6 assists. Surprisingly, that stat line is a step back from his 2021-22 regular season averages of 18.3 points and 6.8 assists per game.
Discounting the 82nd game of the season (in which Holiday played only eight minutes), Holiday played in 11 games without Middleton in 2021-22. In those 11 games, Holiday averaged approximately 20 points and 7.5 assists.
But that might not be enough. The thing is, Holiday can do better if he shoots closer to his 2021-22 average on three-pointers. Holiday shot a shade over 41% on three-point attempts for the season, but he connected on only 29% of this three-point attempts in games without Middleton. In fact, if Holiday can simply connect on the same percentage of threes without Middleton as he did throughout the regular season, his scoring average increases to nearly 22 points per game.
But the Bucks were only 6-5 in games that Holiday played without Middleton. Milwaukee will need to get more from others, too.
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This defensive possession was just ridiculous from Jrue Holiday last night. The way in which he fought over is pretty much exactly how he explained to do it when we chatted about defense: <a href="https://t.co/GkfSpMlwLI">https://t.co/GkfSpMlwLI</a> But he might be the only one on the planet that can do this: <a href="https://t.co/kI4Fv7oqH2">pic.twitter.com/kI4Fv7oqH2</a>
&mdash; Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) <a href="https://twitter.com/eric_nehm/status/1517921745113600000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Bobby Portis
In Middleton&rsquo;s absence in Game 3, Portis chipped in 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Coming into the series, he was already having a career year, posting career-bests in points and rebounds per game (14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds), but the Bucks will be well off if he can contribute like he did on Friday.
Portis&rsquo; production is about more than his totals. His efficiency also returned. Portis was shooting poorly prior to Friday&rsquo;s game, connecting on only three of his 10 attempts through the first two games, which clearly won&rsquo;t get it done for the Bucks.
Thankfully, Portis&rsquo; shot returned in Game 3. He connected on seven of his 14 field goal attempts, including 4-of-8 from three-point range. In total, Portis tallied a +20 for the night. If he can continue that kind of production, the Bucks will be in fairly good shape.
Grayson Allen
Friday&rsquo;s outcome was about more than just Antetokounmpo, Holiday and Portis. Allen also did his part, scoring 22 points on eight-for-12 shooting without Middleton.
Like Portis, Allen&rsquo;s impact was limited in Game 1 and Game 2, but if the former Dukie can continue his hot shooting, it should end positively for Milwaukee. Throughout the regular season, the Bucks were 5-1 when Allen connected on 66% or more of his field goal attempts, as he did on Friday.&nbsp;
Pat Connaughton
There&rsquo;s one other role player from whom the Bucks should hope to get regular contributions for the remaining playoffs: Pat Connaughton. The Bucks are 12-0 in the regular season when Connaughton scores 16 or more points, including wins against Brooklyn, Miami, San Antonio and Los Angeles (Clippers and Lakers).
If Milwaukee can get Middleton back for the second round, they are as likely a team to win the 2022 NBA Championship as anyone. But if Middleton doesn't return quite that soon, the Bucks will need far more from their role players.
Regardless of Middleton returning for the second round, the Bucks have work to do against Chicago, which will get increasingly more difficult without Middleton. If the Bucks&rsquo; role players continue to perform like they did in Game 3, all should be well in Milwaukee.
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The Milwaukee Bucks will finish their first-round series without Khris Middleton. Will they successfully replace his production?

Can the Milwaukee Bucks replace Khris Middleton's production?

Grayson Allen made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points and the Milwaukee Bucks dominated the Chicago Bulls 111-81 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series without the injured Khris Middleton.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 points, Bobby Portis had 18 points and 16 rebounds and the defending champion Bucks made it look easy coming off two shaky performances at home.
Coming off two shaky performances at home, Milwaukee quieted a raucous crowd watching Chicago&rsquo;s first playoff game at the United Center in five years almost as soon as it started. The Bucks led by 24 in the second quarter and remained in control the rest of the way.
Middleton is expected to miss the rest of the series after spraining his left knee in Wednesday night in a loss. Game 4 is Sunday in Chicago.
Antetokounmpo scored all but two of his points after the first quarter. The two-time MVP finished with nine assists and seven rebounds.
Jrue Holiday added 16 points to help the Bucks beat the Bulls for the 18th time in 20 games.
Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 19 points. Zach LaVine had 15 and DeMar DeRozan finished with just 11 after setting a career playoff high with 41 in Game 2.
The Bucks had it going right from the start, racing out to a 60-41 halftime lead even with Middleton sidelined.
Allen helped squash the &ldquo;Let's go Bulls!&rdquo; chants, nailing four 3s and scoring 14 in the half. That had to make it even tougher for fans still upset about his hard foul that resulted in a broken wrist for Alex Caruso during a game in Milwaukee in January. They showered him with boos but couldn't throw him off his game.
Antetokounmpo started a 13-0 run early in the second quarter with a 19-footer and dunk. And Allen finished it with a driving layup that bumped the lead to 46-22.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Portis wore goggles after missing most of Game 2 with a right eye abrasion. He took a hit to the face from Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson late in the first quarter Wednesday as both players were going after a rebound. ... G George Hill (abdominal strain) missed his fourth game in a row. And coach Mike Budenholzer said he doesn't appear close to returning. ... Milwaukee has won 12 of 13 at the United Center dating to the 2016-17 season
Bulls: The Bulls have not won a home playoff game since beating Cleveland in Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference semifinals. Chicago lost that series in six games. ... Assistant coaches Chris Fleming and Damian Cotter were back with the team after missing the first two games because of COVID-19. Assistant Maurice Cheeks, however, was out because of a non-COVID illness, coach Billy Donovan said.

Grayson Allen's 5 three-pointers led the charge for Milwaukee in a redemptive Game 3 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Bucks rout Bulls 111-81, take 2-1 lead without Khris Middleton

The road back to the NBA Finals has become bumpy for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
Devin Booker strained his right hamstring Tuesday in Phoenix and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-nba-sports-mike-budenholzer-598c4ea01c12a5c205da9a5dce63dfa2">Khris Middleton sprained his left knee a night later in Milwaukee</a>, leaving both teams without one of their All-Stars.
That wasn't all they lost. Both teams went on to fall in those Game 2s and find themselves tied as their series switch sites Friday night.
The Suns will be at New Orleans, while the Bucks make the short trip to Chicago.
Miami takes a 2-0 lead into Atlanta in the other game on the schedule Friday.
Milwaukee had to overcome the loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo to a knee injury last season during the Eastern Conference finals, winning the final two games against Atlanta in part because of how well Middleton played.
Now the Bucks will have to find a way without Middleton, who underwent testing Thursday that confirmed the diagnosis of a sprained left MCL. The Bucks said he would be treated daily and his status would be updated in approximately two weeks, which means he will miss at least the rest of the first round.
&ldquo;Obviously, it&rsquo;s a challenge. We kind of know the deal now," Antetokounmpo said. "We&rsquo;ve got to go and get one on the road. It&rsquo;s going to be hard. Nobody says it&rsquo;s going to be easy. But we know what the deal is. Khris is down. But we have a great team, talented team, tough team. Hopefully we can go out here and compete to the highest of our ability.
"Do we thrive in adversity? We&rsquo;ll see. We cannot predict the future but hopefully we can be ready to compete in Game 3.&rdquo;
Middleton and teammate Jrue Holiday flew with Booker to Tokyo last summer for the Olympics, just after the Bucks erased a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals to deny Phoenix its first NBA championship.
The Suns returned this season and soared through the best regular season in franchise history, rolling to an NBA-best 64-18 record. But they got just one win to open the postseason before Booker was hurt after scoring 31 points in the first half of Game 2.
Then the Pelicans, who had to win two play-in games just to make the postseason, rallied for a 125-114 victory behind 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for Brandon Ingram.
The Suns played through Booker's absence because of hamstring trouble earlier in the season and a stretch without Chris Paul after the All-Star break because of a hand injury, so they also have experience having to get by without a star.
&ldquo;We're going to need everybody throughout this deep playoff run that we hope that we have,&rdquo; Paul said. &ldquo;So it's been a season like that for us. Next man up. Guys stay ready.&rdquo;
Friday&rsquo;s games:
HEAT AT HAWKS
Miami leads 2-0. Game 3, 7 p.m. EDT, ESPN
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Trae Young matched a career worst by shooting 1 for 12 in Game 1, then established a career high &mdash; of the wrong kind &mdash; by committing 10 turnovers in Game 2. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has been at his best for Miami and is coming off a playoff career-best 45 points in Game 2.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Miami is up 2-0 in the series without Adebayo and Herro doing much yet in the scoring columns. If the Heat get them going, Atlanta is in even more trouble.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Clint Capela (knee) is definitely out for Game 3 and seems unlikely to play in this series, no matter how long it lasts. His absence has been huge in the first two games of the series. John Collins (finger) has filled in and performed admirably, considering he can&rsquo;t bend one of his fingers and the injury is so painful that he&rsquo;s been noticeably wincing several times so far in the series. But without Capela and with Collins far from 100%, the Hawks aren&rsquo;t themselves. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really have as much touch as I would like with my finger,&rdquo; Collins said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m doing the best I can.&rdquo;
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Young has to step up his game for the Hawks to have any chance against the top-seeded Heat. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to be better,&rdquo; said Young, who became only the second player in NBA history after Nate Archibald to lead the league in total points and assists. Young considers this a personal duel against Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who has thrown out all sorts of defensive wrinkles to slow the Atlanta star. &ldquo;Spoelstra is a top 15 coach of all time for a reason,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not going to let me just outscore &rsquo;em. He&rsquo;s going to make it tough. It&rsquo;s my job to try to out-think him in certain ways.&rdquo;
BUCKS AT BULLS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 8:30 p.m. EDT, ABC
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Chicago's 114-110 victory in Game 2 was just its second win in the last 19 meetings with the Bucks. Milwaukee's defense has to regain control of DeMar DeRozan, who scored 41 points, and Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, who both had at least 20. All three shot terribly in Game 1.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Bulls guard Alex Caruso. He missed nearly two months of the regular season after breaking his right wrist on a flagrant foul from Bucks guard Grayson Allen that resulted in an ejection and one-game suspension. In the first two games of this series, Caruso has revealed just what the Bulls were missing while he was away. Caruso&rsquo;s defensive tenacity has bothered the Bucks, who have 36 turnovers in this series. Caruso had nine points and a season-high 10 assists in Game 2. The Bulls outscored the Bucks by 16 points in the 38 minutes when he was on the floor.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Bucks forward Bobby Portis left Game 2 with a right eye abrasion after taking a hit to the face from Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson while both players were competing for a rebound late in the first quarter. Bucks reserve guard George Hill has missed the first two games of the series with an abdominal strain and isn&rsquo;t expected to return anytime soon.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Holiday: Middleton's absence puts more responsibility on Antetokounmpo and Holiday to carry the load. Antetokounmpo has been as stellar as usual thus far with 30 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists per game, but the Bucks need Holiday to take better care of the ball. Holiday has totaled 12 assists and 10 turnovers through the first two games.
SUNS AT PELICANS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 9:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Losing Booker might be a problem but losing home-court advantage shouldn't for the Suns. They were an NBA-best 32-9 on the road &mdash; just four fewer wins than the Pelicans had total.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: The Suns' transition defense. Phoenix coach Monty Williams said it was about as bad as it's looked under him in Game 2, when the Suns had 16 fast-break points while shooting nearly 55% from the field
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Pelicans coach Willie Green said Ingram was fine Thursday at practice after rolling his ankle in Game 2.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Mikal Bridges. Without Booker, the Suns are going to need more offense and will hope the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up is one of the players who can provide it, while also expecting him to lead a stronger defensive effort against Ingram.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami and AP Sports Writers Paul Newberry in Atlanta and Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

Devin Booker strained his right hamstring Tuesday in Phoenix and Khris Middleton sprained his left knee a night later in Milwaukee.

Injuries make road back to NBA Finals bumpy for Suns, Bucks

DeMar DeRozan scored a career playoff-high 41 points and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 114-110 on Wednesday night in Game 2 to tie their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Nikola Vucevic added 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Zach LaVine had 20 points as the Bulls beat the Bucks for just the second time in their last 19 meetings. The series now heads to Chicago for Game 3 on Friday.
The question facing the defending champion Bucks is whether they&rsquo;ll be close to full strength when the series resumes. Bobby Portis left Wednesday&rsquo;s game with a right eye abrasion after the first quarter and Khris Middleton exited with a sore left knee after slipping midway through the fourth quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 33 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, putting him one assist from his second career playoff triple-double. Antetokounmpo increased his career postseason point total to 1,715 to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,692) for the most in Bucks history.
Brook Lopez had 25 points for the Bucks. Middleton scored 18 and Jrue Holiday 15.
DeRozan scored eight points during a 13-0 run that began late in the third quarter and gave the Bulls a 96-80 lead with 9:47 remaining. The Bulls still led by 15 before Milwaukee rallied in the final 7 &frac12; minutes.
Lopez converted a three-point play to cut Chicago&rsquo;s lead to 112-109 with 56 seconds left. But after Alex Caruso and Vucevic got offensive rebounds on the Bulls&rsquo; ensuing possession, DeRozan&rsquo;s driving layup made it 114-109 with 18.2 seconds remaining.
After facing an early 16-point deficit in Game 1, the Bulls started much faster this time.
The Bucks committed three turnovers in the game&rsquo;s first 49 seconds and four in the first two minutes as the Bulls built an early 9-0 lead. The Bulls were ahead 29-28 at the end of a first quarter that featured six lead changes.
Chicago maintained a narrow lead before closing the second quarter on a 15-4 run to extend the margin to 65-49.
The Bulls extended the lead to 18 early in the third quarter, before the Bucks rallied with a small lineup featuring Antetokounmpo, Middleton and reserve guards Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton and Jevon Carter.
Antetokounmpo led the way as the Bucks went on a 15-2 run to cut the Bulls&rsquo; lead to three late in the third period. But the Bulls responded with 13 straight points and stayed in front the reset of the way.
TIP-INS
Bulls: After shooting a season-low 32.3% and going 7 of 37 from 3-point range in a 93-86 Game 1 loss, the Bulls shot 49.4% and went 12 of 25 from beyond the arc Wednesday. DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic shot a combined 21 of 71 overall and 4 of 22 from 3-point range in Game 1. They were a combined 33 of 62 overall and 7 of 14 on 3-point attempts in Game 2. ... Caruso had 10 assists to go along with nine points. ... Patrick Williams had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Bucks: George Hill missed a third straight game with an abdominal strain. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before Game 2 that Hill isn&rsquo;t expected back I the short term and that the team will monitor how the 35-year-old Hill guard progresses over the next &ldquo;handful of days or more,&rdquo; ... The Bucks had 15 turnovers to increase their season total to 36.

DeMar DeRozan's 41 points fueled the Chicago Bulls to a win in Game 2 of its series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

DeRozan scores 41 points as Bulls beat Bucks 114-110 to tie series

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday each scored 29 points and the Milwaukee Bucks edged the short-handed Boston Celtics 127-121 on Thursday night to take over second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Bucks (50-30) scored the game&rsquo;s final nine points to move a half-game ahead of the Celtics (50-31) and a full game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers (49-31), who lost 119-114 at Toronto on Thursday.
Milwaukee withstood a triple-double from Jaylen Brown, who had 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Celtics. Brown&rsquo;s 11 assists matched his career high.
Marcus Smart shot 7 of 12 from 3-point range and was the Celtics&rsquo; leading scorer with a season-high 29 points. Daniel Theis had 22 points and Derrick White added 19 for the Celtics.
Khris Middleton had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo had 11 rebounds and five assists. Holiday had eight rebounds and eight assists.
One night after a 117-94 victory at Chicago, the Celtics held Jayson Tatum and Al Horford out of Thursday&rsquo;s game. They also continued to play without Robert Williams III, who hasn&rsquo;t played since March 27 due to a meniscus tear in his left knee.
The Celtics still almost won on the road.
Smart put Boston ahead 119-118 on a 3-pointer with 4:25 left and added a driving layup nearly two minutes later to make it 121-118.
Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis tied it by sinking a 3-pointer with 2:11 remaining.
The Bucks took the lead for good when Antetokounmpo made the second of two free throws with 1:31 left. After White missed a 3-pointer, Holiday converted a putback of his own miss to make it 124-121 with a minute remaining.
After Theis couldn&rsquo;t score from right under the basket, Antetokounmpo made one of two free throws to extend Milwaukee&rsquo;s lead to 125-121 with 39 seconds left.
HILL'S NECK PROBLEM
Bucks guard George Hill offered more clarity Thursday on the neck injury that caused him to miss 17 games before he returned to action March 14.
Hill said he had a partial tear between the sixth and seventh thoracic vertebra in his spine. Hill didn&rsquo;t undergo surgery and plans to revisit the issue after the season.
&ldquo;Surgery can be season-ending, so you don&rsquo;t want to do that,&rdquo; Hill said after the Bucks&rsquo; Thursday morning shootaround. &ldquo;You want to figure out how I can manage to get back out with the guys. It feels a lot better now. I&rsquo;m just trying to give it everything I have.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Celtics: Rookie Sam Hauser, a Wisconsin native who began his college career at Marquette, had a career-high 11 points and went 3 of 4 on 3-point attempts. Marquette and the Bucks both play their home games at Fiserv Forum. ... Celtics assistant coach Ben Sullivan, an assistant on Milwaukee's staff last season, received his 2020-21 championship ring in a pregame ceremony.
Bucks: The Bucks requested waivers on DeAndre&rsquo; Bembry, who played eight games for them before suffering a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-utah-jazz-nba-sports-brook-lopez-7703bb40fb72236c5e9655a26a7a6389">season-ending knee injury</a> in a loss at Golden State on March 12. &hellip; Grayson Allen didn&rsquo;t play due to left hip soreness. &ldquo;He got hit a little bit the other night in Chicago,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game, referring to a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-boston-celtics-nba-sports-89c777fcb55642d97f5523ac2d5f6024"> 127-106 victory</a> over the Bulls on Tuesday. &ldquo;Hopefully it&rsquo;s short-term.&rdquo; ... The Bucks outscored the Celtics 58-34 in the paint.
UP NEXT
Celtics: At Memphis on Sunday. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-boston-celtics-brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-3d2600b0730722e97fedf317fcb1237b">The Celtics beat the Grizzlies 120-107</a> in Boston on March 3.
Bucks: At Detroit on Friday. The Bucks are 2-1 against the Pistons this season but <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-khris-middleton-jrue-holiday-milwaukee-c2a817547bf4b377674b1909beacc87a">lost the last matchup 115-106</a> at Milwaukee on Jan. 3.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday each scored 29 points and the Bucks edged the shorthanded Celtics to take second in the East.

Giannis, Holiday help Bucks rally past Celtics 127-121

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a rather quiet performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo to clinch their fourth straight Central Division championship with a 127-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
The defending NBA champion Bucks haven&rsquo;t been on a run like this since Don Nelson&rsquo;s teams won seven consecutive division titles in the 1980s.
They took control early and came away with an easy win even though DeMar DeRozan scored 40 for Chicago.
Antetokounmpo, trying to overtake LeBron James and Joel Embiid in a tight race for his first scoring title, finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. But the two-time MVP started slow and spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench after picking up his fifth foul.
Lopez had his best performance after missing most of the season because of a back injury. Khris Middleton scored 19.
Grayson Allen and Bobby Portis added 13 points apiece as the Bucks completed a four-game season sweep of the Bulls.
DeRozan did all he could to carry Chicago, with two-time All-Star Zach LaVine sidelined because of ongoing soreness in his left knee.
Patrick Williams added 18 points. Nikola Vucevic struggled, going 3 of 19 and scoring seven points. He did draw loud cheers when he knocked Allen to the floor early in the fourth quarter, delighting fans angry about Allen's hard foul earlier this season on Chicago&rsquo;s Alex Caruso that resulted in a broken wrist.
But the Bulls once again lost to an elite opponent. They are a combined 2-20 against the top four teams in the East and West.
Chicago also fell to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, a game behind Toronto with three to play. The Raptors beat Atlanta.
Vucevic hit a corner 3-pointer for Chicago just before the halftime buzzer and DeRozan hit a jumper in the opening seconds of the third to cut it to 58-48.
Milwaukee regrouped and pushed the lead to 21, only to have the Bulls get within 10 again late in the third. Two free throws by Antetokounmpo in the closing minute of the quarter and a 3 from the top by Jrue Holiday made it 96-80 before DeRozan hit jumper to cut the margin to 14 heading to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Antetokounmpo was available despite a sore right knee.
Bulls: PG Lonzo Ball experienced another setback in his recovery from surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee, raising more doubt about whether he will play again this season. Ball felt some discomfort after he tried to ramp up activities again following a 10-day pause, coach Billy Donovan said. Donovan said the next step will probably be a &ldquo;meeting of the minds&rdquo; in the next day or two. And the possibility of Ball missing the remainder of the season is &ldquo;on the table.&rdquo; Ball has not played since Jan. 14. ... Donovan said he didn't necessarily get the sense that LaVine will need to miss a chunk of games, though his status for Wednesday's matchup with Boston was in question.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
Bulls: Host the Celtics on Wednesday.

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points to clinch their fourth straight Central Division championship with a 127-106 victory

Lopez scores 28, Bucks beat Bulls 127-106 to clinch Central

After the Utah Jazz were eliminated by the shorthanded Los Angeles Clippers last June, the rumors swirling around Donovan Mitchell and his potential departure from the team began in earnest.
Following an ugly five-game losing streak earlier this year, the rumors picked up more steam. In late January, NBA analyst <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/is-grayson-allen-a-dirty-player-nba-insiders-weigh-in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ric Bucher of FOX Sports reported</a> that the "incessant buzz around the league is that there are those in Mitchell's circle who believe he is too big of a star for Salt Lake City."
The league-wide gossip has only intensified, as the Jazz have imploded over the past three months and descended down the Western Conference standings in the process.&nbsp;
Utah was 26-9 over its first 37 contests this season and trailed the West-leading Suns by just a game on New Year's Day. However, the Jazz are four games below .500 (18-22) over their last 40 games. And things have gone from bad to worse as of late.
Not only have they lost 6 of their past 7 contests, but they've also somehow managed to blow massive leads in back-to-back defeats (bungling a 25-point advantage to the Clippers and a 21-point lead in a loss to the Golden State Warriors). On the season, the Jazz have lost 15 games in which they've held double-digit leads. During this current seven-game stretch, Utah's defense has been non-existent, allowing a whopping 123.2 points per 100 possessions.&nbsp;
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The Jazz currently find themselves sitting in the No. 6 spot out West, just one-and-a-half games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, which means Utah could potentially slip into the Play-in Tournament.
The relationship between the star duo of Mitchell three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert has been notoriously rocky in years past, and it appears to be wobbly once again.&nbsp;
Mitchell not sharing the ball with Gobert has become a topic of conversation. On the season, Mitchell has passed the rock to the big man just 151 times, or on average, <a href="https://twitter.com/DustinT_NBA/status/1510492258063163393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less than twice per game</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Donovan Mitchell's full response at shootaround this morning when he was asked about the number of times he passes to Rudy Gobert per game: <a href="https://t.co/OTez0jURfz">pic.twitter.com/OTez0jURfz</a>
&mdash; Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) <a href="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1511390020136964102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

After Utah choked away a massive lead to the Clippers last week, Gobert was brutally honest in his postgame presser.
"Nobody hits nobody. We don't get our hands dirty. We never get our hands dirty," <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/03/30/triple-team-jazz-lost/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gobert told reporters</a>. "We're a very good basketball team, but I get f***ed up every night, and guys are literally beating me up every night, as they should. It's basketball; it's a physical game. But we have to get to the point where we do that to the other team too. But teams don't really expect that from us."
Mitchell was later asked about finger-pointing while the team was struggling.
"That's childish, in my opinion,"&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/04/01/utah-jazz-vow-not-fall/">Mitchell replied</a>. "If we do that, then we've got some big problems."
Three days later, Utah blew another double-digit fourth-quarter lead in Golden State. "I don't know how many times it's gonna happen," Gobert said afterward. Jazz beat writer <a href="https://theathletic.com/3226333/2022/04/03/jazz-blow-another-big-lead-and-seem-to-have-no-answers-to-some-troubling-questions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tony Jones wrote</a> that the Jazz "play as if they have zero trust in each other, and that's the hard truth."
If the Jazz flame out in the playoffs later this month (they are just 10-17 in the postseason over the last three years), Utah's front office will have some tough decisions to make. And many NBA insiders believe Mitchell may force the organization's hand.&nbsp;
Appearing as a guest on the "The Lowe Post" podcast last Friday, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/schwartz-and-macmahon/id986595124?i=1000555962078" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Tim MacMahon proclaimed</a>:
<blockquote>
The idea that Donovan Mitchell is going to spend his entire career in Utah is absolutely ridiculous. That's one of the things that's staring them in the face this summer. That's also one of the things that has been looming over this franchise all season long. 
</blockquote>
MacMahon added that "other teams have been planning to make a run at Mitchell" for quite some time.
On a podcast in February, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trade-deadline-megapod-part-2-the-losers/id1078713316?i=1000550747046" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated</a> also painted a grim picture of the situation in Salt Lake City:
<blockquote>
I think they're in trouble because this thing has run its course, and we know there are some tensions that are in that locker room. And I've been told recently that they might be a little worse than we've even been led to believe. And so, if this doesn't end well this postseason, and there's no reason to think that it will... Those "Donovan Mitchell wants out" rumors are going to be starting, like, as soon as the season is over.
</blockquote>
However, Mitchell signed a five-year, $163 million contract extension in November 2020, which includes a player option worth $37 million for the 2025-26 season. Thus, he is still under contract in Utah for at least three more years.
Despite some ups and downs as of late, Mitchell is undeniably one of the most dynamic and productive young players in the entire league. This season, at the ripe age of 25, he is producing 26.1 points and 4.1 rebounds to go along with career-high averages in assists (5.4), steals (1.5), made three-pointers (3.5) and field goal percentage (45.4%).
Mitchell has already tallied over 8,000 points, 1,500 assists and 1,400 rebounds in his young career (343 games). The only players to exceed those totals in these statistical categories in fewer career contests are LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Michael Jordan, Pete Maravich and Oscar Robertson. That's decent company.
And although the Jazz have stumbled in the playoffs, it's unfair to pin those defeats on Mitchell. He has played some of his best basketball when the spotlight shines brightest. In the 17 postseason games Utah has played over the last two years, Mitchell's averaged a whopping 33.9 points and 4.9 treys per contest. Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic are the only other players averaging more than 30 points per game in the playoffs since 2020.
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So, to make a long story short, the Jazz will only consider trading away their three-time All-Star if he demands to be moved.
Should Mitchell inform Utah he wants out, plenty of pundits predict that New York will be his preferred destination.&nbsp;
There is plenty of connective tissue between Mitchell and the Big Apple. For starters, Mitchell was born and raised in New York. His father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., is a former minor league baseball player who works for the Mets as the club's director of diversity, equity and inclusion. The younger Mitchell spends much of his offseasons in New York and <a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell/status/1494377515300786176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1494377515300786176%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fwashington%2Fnationals%2Fson-mets-exec-donovan-mitchell-makes-pitch-juan-soto-go-queens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often tweets about his favorite MLB team</a>.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The only time we&rsquo;re happy to have a 🕷 in the house. <a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spidadmitchell</a> <a href="https://t.co/G4J7Lb2a2F">pic.twitter.com/G4J7Lb2a2F</a>
&mdash; New York Mets (@Mets) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1131326274834763776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2019</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Mitchell also has a very close relationship with Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, who mentored Mitchell during his days in Utah before joining head coach Tom Thibodeau's staff. Marc Berman of the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/03/20/knicks-hopes-of-landing-donovan-mitchell-could-hinge-on-assistant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post has reported</a>, "Bryant is a key figure in the Knicks' long-term hopes of Mitchell tiring of playing in one of the NBA's most obscure markets in Salt Lake City." In addition, New York team president Leon Rose served as Mitchell's agent before leaving CAA to join the Knicks' front office.
"Some say it&rsquo;s only a matter of time before he joins former Creative Artists Agency agent and current New York Knicks president Leon Rose," <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/is-grayson-allen-a-dirty-player-nba-insiders-weigh-in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ric Bucher wrote</a> earlier this year. He added that an Eastern Conference scout told him: "They're a first-round exit from Donovan being in New York."&nbsp;
While Utah has not lived up to expectations thus far this season, their struggles pale in comparison to the dissatisfaction New Yorkers have dealt with. The Knicks have, once again, failed to advance to the playoffs coming off last season's first-round postseason exit. The franchise has won a grand total of one playoff game over the last nine years. Yes, one.
New York has not been shy about courting superstars in the past. And coming off a disappointing and unsuccessful season, the pressure will be ramped up on Rose and Co. to make a major move. A native New Yorker with All-NBA talent about to enter the heart of his prime seems like an ideal target.
So, while Knicks fans won't be able to cheer for their favorite team in this year's playoffs, you can rest assured they will be rooting very hard for one club in the first round &mdash; whichever team is matched up against the Jazz.&nbsp;
In terms of assets involved in a potential blockbuster, the Knicks have several promising young players on their roster, including RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley (who has been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-immanuel-quickleys-unusual-shot-diet-can-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">playing at a high level since the All-Star break</a>), as well as Cam Reddish, Quentin Grimes and Obi Toppin. New York also owns six first-round draft picks over the next five years. And if Utah were interested, the Knicks would certainly be willing to send Julius Randle (who struggled this season, but was named to the All-NBA Second Team a year ago) packing in a package deal for Mitchell.
Yet, it's important to note that even if Mitchell demands a trade and wants to relocate to New York &mdash; and whether the Knicks are willing to push all their chips into the middle of the table to bring him home &mdash; the Jazz are going to do what's best for their organization. That means canvassing the league and looking for the best possible offer.
And, make no mistake, several teams will gladly surrender a king's ransom for a young superstar under contract for three more seasons.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer explores the timeline of Donovan Mitchell's frustration in Utah and how it could lead to a change of scenery.

Expect the Knicks to make a real run at Donovan Mitchell this summer

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 17 rebounds in his return to action and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their recent mastery of the Chicago Bulls with a 126-98 blowout on Tuesday night.
Antetokounmpo missed the Bucks&rsquo; 138-119 loss at Minnesota on Saturday due to a sore right knee. Milwaukee played without All-Star forward Khris Middleton, who was dealing with a sore left wrist.
&ldquo;He took a fall in the Minnesota game, and it was pretty sore and stiff, so we&rsquo;ve had it looked at,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. &ldquo;We feel like it&rsquo;s short term, but we&rsquo;ll see how he feels the next day or two.&rdquo;
Jrue Holiday had a game-high 27 points to go along with seven assists as the Bucks won for the 15th time in their last 16 meetings with the Bulls, including all three matchups this season. The Bulls&rsquo; lone win during that stretch came in their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-brooklyn-nets-milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-nba-d0ef1e66e228bc0d4a77432eec000456">2019-20 regular-season finale, </a> when the Bucks rested their starters because they were locked into the East&rsquo;s No. 3 playoff seed.
Brook Lopez had 10 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes for Milwaukee after making his first start since the season opener. The 7-footer had come off the bench for the Bucks&rsquo; last three games after missing 67 due to a back injury that required surgery.
Nikola Vucevic had 22 points for the Bulls, who opened a five-game trip one night after a 113-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine added 21 points each.
Milwaukee took command with a 23-4 spurt that began late in the first quarter and continued in the second period. The game was tied 20-all before the Bucks scored the final 13 points of the opening period.
Milwaukee extended the lead to 59-33 before the Bulls charged back by scoring 13 straight points. That included a personal 10-0 run by LaVine, who capped the outburst by hitting a 3-pointer to open the second half.
Chicago cut the lead to 64-54 on a pair of free throws by LaVine with 8:51 left in the third, but the Bucks regrouped and pulled away again. They eventually led by as many as 35.
LATE T'S
Milwaukee's Serge Ibaka and Chicago's Tristan Thompson each received technical fouls late in the fourth quarter after they got into a brief tussle on an inbounds pass attempt.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Patrick Williams remained on a minutes restriction in his second game back after missing 65 with a torn ligament in his left wrist. He has played 18 minutes each of the last two games. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to need I think a series of games to get up where we can move his minutes up,&rdquo; coach Billy Donovan said before the game.
Bucks: George Hill was fined $15,000 after getting ejected from Saturday's loss for shoving Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley from behind. Beverley, who shoved Ibaka from behind earlier in the altercation, was fined $20,000. ... Bulls fans made up a sizeable minority of the crowd, so Grayson Allen got a mix of loud cheers and boos whenever he was introduced. It was the Bulls&rsquo; first game back in Milwaukee since Jan. 21, when <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-billy-donovan-grayson-allen-milwaukee-bucks-e0490cd97dc21b6a4b58f40e6a2eef3a">Allen was ejected for a flagrant foul on Alex Caruso</a> that <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-cleveland-cavaliers-16bc3d74b234b58975beeecd4a5c7eab#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Milwaukee,Bucks%20visit%20the%20Cleveland%20Cavaliers."> caused the Bulls guard to miss 22 games with a fractured right wrist. </a> The teams faced each other in Chicago on <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-khris-middleton-25d12e2cb31e6d22971ffae033d3027f">March 4.</a>
UP NEXT
Bulls: At New Orleans on Thursday. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-chicago-bulls-zach-lavine-new-orleans-pelicans-62987853394c85f76de405d645f57f35">The Bulls beat the Pelicans 128-112 </a> in Chicago on Oct. 22.
Bucks: Host the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The Bucks have split two previous meetings with the Wizards. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-washington-wizards-bradley-beal-milwaukee-bucks-f44b85e844504596148df2d0a87f60cb">The Bucks lost 101-94</a> at Washington on Nov. 7 and won 112-98 at Milwaukee on Feb. 1.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 17 rebounds in his return to action and the Bucks extended their recent mastery of the Bulls.

Antetokounmpo returns, Bucks roll to 126-98 win over Bulls

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Chicago star Zach LaVine missed the Bulls' game Saturday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers because of lingering soreness in his left knee while guard Alex Caruso returned from a broken right wrist, giving the defense a big boost.
Lavine missed the final three games prior to the All-Star break. The high-flying guard had platelet-rich plasma therapy, a cortisone injection and fluid drained in Los Angeles, hoping the treatment will help him get through the remainder of the season.
The Bulls knew they'd have to manage the situation the rest of the way and that LaVine might miss some games. The fact that the two-time All-Star wasn't able to play even though they had two days off after winning at Detroit on Wednesday to stop a five-game losing streak did not seem to raise extra alarms for coach Billy Donovan.
&ldquo;Everything I've gotten from the doctors is they feel totally comfortable with him playing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There's obviously a team of doctors that are involved in this. One of the doctors that's involved is a guy that handled his ACL surgery several years ago. ... I think that everybody feels very, very comfortable that him playing is OK, and it's not necessarily him regressing. It's just something that he's gonna have to manage and deal with throughout the course of the season."
LaVine, who was traded from Minnesota to Chicago in June 2017, had his final season with the Timberwolves cut short because of a torn ACL in the same knee. It was repaired by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 2017. His status for Monday&rsquo;s game at Sacramento was not clear.
Caruso, one of Chicago's best perimeter defenders, had not played since Jan. 21. He was knocked to the floor on a hard foul by Grayson Allen while driving to the basket during a game at Milwaukee, resulting in an injury that required surgery and caused him to miss 22 games. Allen was suspended one game by the NBA.
Injuries, including a sprained left foot, and COVID-19 had limited Caruso to 28 games prior to the matchup with Cleveland. He was averaging 8.4 points in his first season with the Bulls after spending his first four years with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Alex Caruso returned to the Chicago Bulls' lineup on Saturday, but Zach LaVine was sidelined due to knee soreness.