Milwaukee Bucks 'win ugly', survive Chicago Bulls rally in Game 1

MILWAUKEE — On the way to winning their first NBA championship, the Milwaukee Bucks transformed into a defensive juggernaut during the postseason, finishing No. 1 among playoff teams in defensive efficiency after placing near the bottom of the top 10 during the regular season.

The Bucks dipped to the No.14 in defense during the 2021-22 regular season. But they once again turned up the intensity for the start of the postseason on Sunday, smothering the Chicago Bulls offense en route to a 93-86 Game 1 victory in Milwaukee.

«Sometimes you got to win ugly,» Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. «It's not always going to be pretty or perfect.»

Milwaukee began the game hot, jumping out to a 9-0 lead and building a 16-point first quarter advantage over its division rival after sweeping them in all four games in their regular-season series. But the Bulls stormed back to make the game competitive and even took a lead in the third quarter before the Bucks recovered in the fourth.

«They made a couple more winning plays than we did,» said Bulls guard Zach LaVine.

Entering Sunday, the Bucks had lost five of their past six Game 1s during their last two playoff runs with their lone win coming against the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the opening round last year. But they came away with a victory on Sunday despite 21 turnovers, an uncharacteristic poor performance from Khris Middleton, who shot 4 of 13 (1-for-7 from 3) for 11 points with seven turnovers, and zero points from Giannis Antetokounmpo in the fourth quarter.

«So many reasons why the game was ugly,» said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds. «Wasn't able to make open shots, wasn't able to get to our spots. Not just for us, both teams. I think not playing the game