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MILWAUKEE — The Bulls won a game against the Bucks.
Not just any game, Game 2 in the Playoffs. 114-110 to be exact. The series is now tied 1-1 and you can thank one man for that.
DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan scored a playoff career-high 41 points on 16-for-31 shooting, including 9-for-9 at the free-throw line. He put on an absolute masterclass, a DeMasterclass if you will, in mid-range scoring and general badassery.
Coming off a disappointing 18-point performance in Game 1, DeRozan said, “I guarantee I’m not going to shoot 6-for-25 again.”
So, what changed?
“He’s good,” Alex Caruso interjected.
“What he said,” DeRozan replied with a smile.
“I looked at all my missed shots from Game 1,” he continued. “I was in here last night, shooting, just getting my rhythm. I got to my spots. Understanding that I never let a miss deter me from taking my next jumpshot. I just knew it was going to happen twice”
DeRozan did his thing. But he went about it in the ballsiest way possible.
Staring down the barrel at a 7-foot defensive player of the year, DeRozan attacked and even picked on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Play after play.
DeRozan went after Antetokounmpo ruthlessly scoring eight buckets over him in the second half alone.
Here’s a clip of all eight:
“I think he’s capable of doing that every night. He’s a hell of a player. Hell of a scorer. He plays with such poise,” Nikola Vucevic said. “He missed some shots in Game 1 that he usually makes and tonight he just stayed aggressive and obviously he made some tough ones, especially down the stretch. Especially that big play at the end to put us up five, finishing over Giannis. It just shows the belief in his game and that he has in himself and the confidence he has.
We’ve seen him doing it all season long.”
The Bulls never folded — they weathered every Bucks run. They came back and even extended their lead. The Bulls looked much better defensively and continued to get clean looks on offense.
But let’s be real: DeRozan was the reason they won this game.
You have to soak in performances like this when they happen, because they don’t happen often, especially in the playoffs.
Next up is a Friday Game 3 date at the United Center. The Bulls faithful should be rocking for their first playoff game in five years.
Throw in the news that Bucks star Khris Middleton injured his MCL and we now have a series.
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