The Chicago Bulls secured a win in Game 1 of their opening round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks at the United Center on Saturday night.
Despite a high-scoring first quarter for both teams, the Bulls were able to seal a 103-91 win in front of their home fans and will be confident of taking a two-game lead when the two teams clash again next week.
Derrick Rose showed signs of being back to his best as he ended the game with 23 points in just 27 minutes on the court while Jimmy Butler added 25 points for a career playoff high.
However, there were contributions across the roster with Pau Gasol overcoming a slow scoring night to post up yet another double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Aaron Brooks added 13 points off the bench to help seal the win which included this buzzer-beating three to end the first quarter.
While Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 18 points, the night belonged to Rose as he thrilled the Bulls fans with a kind of performance that will give them hope that this team can go all the way this year.
The former MVP attacked the rim for lay-ups and eventually found his range from beyond the arc to drill three consecutive triples in the third quarter to open up the lead.
However, he will know it is his speed and aggressiveness that make him and the team dangerous, and coach Tom Thibodeau will be looking for more of that moving forward.
Nevertheless, they will need to remain focused ahead of Game 2 as Jason Kidd will undoubtedly look to make some adjustments and attempt to steal a road game before welcoming their Eastern Conference rivals to Milwaukee.
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