The champion begins the defense of his title with a victory! Milwaukee won 93-86 in Game 1 of its first round of the playoffs against Chicago, in one of the most unbalanced series. But the meeting ended up being closer than expected. Milwaukee indeed started the match very well, to take a sixteen-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but Chicago came back little by little (51-43 mt) and ended up equalizing in the middle of the third quarter (64-64 , 31st), then to pass in front (64-69, 33rd) thanks to Coby White. However, the Bulls did not manage to increase the gap beyond five points, so that Milwaukee immediately managed to come back (71-71, 35th) and regain a three-point lead at the end of the quarter ( 74-71). The last quarter was very tight, even if for nearly three minutes, no points were scored, before Jrue Holiday finally found the target (77-74, 41st). Thanks to a basket from Nikola Vucevic, Chicago regained a one-point lead 5’56 from the end (77-78), but the Bucks then took control, with an 8-0 (85-80). The Bulls came back again (87-86 at 1’36 from the buzzer), but they conceded a crippling 6-0 in the final seconds, while LaVine, Vucevic and DeRozan missed their shots. It was not perfect, but the essential is assured for the defending champion, who therefore has fifteen victories to go to get to keep the trophy. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds for the Bucks and Nikola Vucevic with 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls. Match 2 will take place on Wednesday.
Chris Paul guides the Suns
Finalist last season and No. 1 in the regular season, Phoenix also started its play-offs on Sunday, and everything went well for the Suns, who won 110-99 against New Orleans. The Arizona franchise led from start to finish during this meeting, even if it had its ups and downs. After the first quarter, Chris Paul and his men led 28-16, then the gap widened to reach +19 at halftime (53-34) and +23 in the third quarter (65-42 , 28th). But the Pelicans eventually woke up, and thanks to a 26-37 in the third quarter, they came back to -7 at the very start of the last quarter (80-73). However, the Suns did not panic, and carried by a huge Chris Paul, author of 19 of his 30 points in the last quarter, they stopped the bleeding and regained their distance (103-86, 44th) to finally win. win by eleven points. The point guard finished as his team’s top scorer (he also delivered 10 assists) and the other members of the Suns’ “big three” also shone, with 25 points for Devin Booker and 21 for Deandre Ayton. Opposite, the enormous double-double of Jonas Valanciunas (18pts, 25rbds) and the 25 bridges of CJ McCollum were not enough. Match 2 will take place on Tuesday, still in Phoenix
BASKETBALL – NBA / PLAY-OFFS 2022
First round
Eastern Conference
MILWAUKEE BUCKS (3) – CHICAGO BULLS (6): 1-0
Match 1 – Milwaukee bucks – Chicago: 93-86
Game 2 on Wednesday, April 20 in Milwaukee
Game 3 on Friday, April 22 in Chicago
Game 4 on Sunday, April 24 in Chicago
Game 5 (if needed) Wednesday, April 27 at Milwaukee
Game 6 (if needed) Friday, April 29 in Chicago
Game 7 (if needed) Sunday, May 1 at Milwaukee
Western Conference
PHOENIX SUNS (1) – NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (8): 1-0
Match 1 – Phoenix Suns –New Orleans Pelicans: 110-99
Game 2 on Tuesday, April 19 Phoenix
Game 3 on Friday, April 22 in New Orleans
Game 4 on Sunday, April 24 in New Orleans
Game 5 (if needed) on Tuesday, April 26 at Phoenix
Game 6 (if necessary) Thursday, April 28 at New Orleans
Game 7 (if needed) Saturday, April 30 at Phoenix
