Even 40 points from DeMar DeRozan wasn’t enough for the Chicago Bulls to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in their final meeting of the regular season.
But despite the 127-106 loss at the United Center, the news wasn’t all bad for the Bulls on Tuesday night. They clinched their first playoff berth since 2017 when the Orlando Magic upended the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier in the night.
After Zach LaVine was sidelined for the night for ongoing management of his left knee injury, DeRozan shouldered most of the production for the Bulls offense.
By the end of the third quarter, he had 40 points and had made all eight of the team’s free throws. His three-point play with 2:24 to go in the third cut the Bucks lead — which had been 21 points — to 10 at 86-76.
But DeRozan didn’t score in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, leading coach Billy Donovan to bench his star to rest his legs for Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics.
The loss capped a season sweep by the Bucks, who dominated the Bulls in their last two matchups, and it highlighted how impactful injuries might be in the playoffs for the Bulls, who fell stagnant on offense without LaVine.
Patrick Williams earned his first start since October in LaVine’s absence, finishing with a season-high 18 points. Coby White was the only other Bull to score in double digits, finishing with 13 points and shooting 3-for-7 from 3-point range.
Nikola Vučević offered a rare highlight for Bulls fans in the fourth quarter by drilling Bucks guard Grayson Allen with an elbow to the head and sending him crashing to the court. Allen earned ire for fracturing Alex Caruso’s wrist in January.
Vučević avoided a flagrant foul on the play, which was whistled dead because of an offensive foul shortly before he made contact with Allen.
With three regular-season games remaining, the Bulls (45-34) are battling the Toronto Raptors (46-33) for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Raptors by one game after Tuesday’s play.
Whether they’re the fifth or sixth seed, the playoffs will require the Bulls to do something they’ve accomplished only once all season — beat a top-four team in the East.
The Bulls are 1-19 against the top four teams in the East and the top three in the Western Conference. That lone win came back on Nov. 1 against the Celtics, whom the Bulls will face for the last time Wednesday.
Their record against top competitors leaves the Bulls with a shaky foundation for the playoffs, which will be an uphill battle without home-court advantage.
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Source: Berkshire mont
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