Another set of playoff first-round showdowns in the NBA revealed the answer, with the defending champion Bucks easily beating the Bulls 116-100 at home and 4-1 to reach the semifinals, which will be against the Celtics. In this game, the Bucks pulled away early, leading by up to 29 points, Alphabet Brother led the team to victory, and faced the Celtics in the semifinals, which is a bigger challenge, Middleton may not be able to come back. It should be noted that Budenholzer coached the Bucks at series points (games with a chance to end the series) with a record of 8-0.
The Bucks won 3-1 after winning the road and are back at home, and they are also good news. The Bulls' Lavin triggered the safety agreement and could not play, Caruso could not play because of concussion, the Bulls lost two core players, Lavine's offense and Caruso's defense are important, and DeRozan can only lead the team to play alone. Facing the Bucks led by Brother Alphabet, DeRozan did not feel good, only Williams played well at the beginning, and the Bucks played very well under the leadership of Brother Alphabet, leading 16 points 34-18 in the first quarter.
Both DeRozan and Vucevic were undersatiable, with the Bucks leading by up to 29 points, and they had an 18-point lead in the first two quarters, with DeRozan scoring just four points in both quarters. The Bucks' inside advantage is obvious, alphabet brother scored 32 points in the first three quarters, and substitutes Allen and Connaughton also played well, and the point difference after the third quarter was 23 points. In the final quarter, the Bulls narrowed the point gap, but could not change the situation, when there were 4 minutes left in the game, the Bulls still had not replaced the main force, Vucevic hit a three-pointer, Jones played 2+1, but the point difference was still 15 points. Alphabet Brother finally went off the field to rest, and Connaughton hit a three-pointer to end the suspense.
Throughout the game, Alphabet had 33 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists, 18 points to win on the court, and Portis, the starter, scored 14 points. For the Bucks, the semi-finals against Celtic talent is a real challenge, and from the current news, Middleton's comeback in the semifinals is not very likely, which is also a test for the defending champion. The Celtics swept the Nets 4-0 in the first round, showing great strength, and it is not easy for the Bucks to think about the Celtics.