Bucks defeat Bulls to win series in five
Bucks 116, Bulls 100: Defending NBA champion Milwaukee continues to produce in the postseason even without key performers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and nine rebounds and the host Bucks routed the short-handed Bulls on Wednesday night to finish off their first-round series in five games.
The Bucks won the last three games by an average of 23.3 points despite playing without Khris Middleton, the All-star who sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the fourth quarter of Game 2.
The third-seeded Bucks advanced to face second-seeded Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 1 on Sunday in Boston. The Celtics swept Brooklyn.
Chicago didn’t handle the loss of key players quite as well.
The Bulls played without the starting backcourt they used for the first four games because two-time All-star Zach Lavine was in health and safety protocols and Alex Caruso was in concussion protocol. Without them on the floor, the Bulls fell behind by as many as 29 points in the first half.
Milwaukee focused on containing Derozan, who had scored 41 points in the Bulls’ Game 2 victory. Derozan was held to 11 points Wednesday while shooting 5 of 10, though he also had seven assists.
Antetokounmpo was 1 of 15 from the floor and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line. Pat Connaughton went 6 of 9 on 3-point attempts and scored 20 points.
Warriors 102, Nuggets 98: Stephen Curry scored 30 points in his return to host Golden State’s starting lineup and the Warriors beat Nikola Jokic and Denver to end the first-round series in five games.
Curry converted a three-point play with 1:33 left and scored again with 29 seconds remaining to help send the Warriors on to the second round in the Western Conference.
Jokic scored 12 of his 30 points in the final 3:46 and finished with 19 rebounds and eight assists.
The Warriors advanced to play the winner of the Memphis-minnesota, with the Grizzlies up 3-2 going into Game 6 on Friday night in Minneapolis. Memphis eliminated Golden State in the play-in round last year.
Jokic tied it at 90 on an 18-footer with 2:26 remaining before Golden State’s Gary Payton II made a layup moments later.
Payton also hit a go-ahead 3-pointer from the baseline corner in front of Denver’s bench with 6:57 left to put Golden State up 86-84 and finished with 15.
Jokic converted two free throws with 3:46 left after Draymond Green’s foul the Golden State defensive star wanted called on the 7-footer. Jokic wound up 12 for 18 from the floor. Demarcus Cousins added 19 points off the bench against his former Golden State team, and Aaron Gordon had 15 points and nine rebounds.