The Chicago Bulls are one game away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Chicago outlasted Milwaukee, 113-106, in double overtime on Thursday to clinch Game 3 and move one win away from advancing to the second round. It just wasn't as easy as Chicago would have hoped.
Bulls vs. Bucks Game 3 results: 3 things we learned in Chicago’s double overtime win
Derrick Rose carried the Bulls to a nail-biting Game 3 win over the Bucks on Thursday night in Milwaukee.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The Bulls looked like they were on their way to a comfortable victory. Chicago had overcome an 18-point deficit in the second quarter and went up double-digits with just over five minutes left in regulation. That's when the Milwaukee Bucks decided to close regulation on an 11-1 run to force overtime. The two teams would head into double overtime until Derrick Rose finally allowed everyone to go home.
Rose was tremendous, beating the Bucks’ defense all night both at the rim and from beyond the three-point line. He finished with 34 points and eight assists and made five of his nine attempts from deep. He scored six points in the second overtime session to ice the game. When Rose put his head down, there was nothing the Bucks could do about it:
The Bucks made things interesting with an incredible comeback late. Khris Middleton scored eight quick points and Milwaukee suddenly found itself up one-point with 10 seconds left. Rose split a pair of free throws to tie the game and send it to OT. Milwaukee failed to convert game-winning chances both at the end of regulation and in overtime.
Jimmy Butler added 24 points for Chicago in the win, while Tony Snell chipped in 16 points. The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 25.
Here’s three things we learned the Bulls’ win:
1. Derrick Rose is rounding into form
Rose was the biggest unknown for Chicago heading into the playoffs. He only had five games to prepare for the postseason after recovering from another knee surgery, and no one could be sure what he would be able to give the Bulls. After Game 3, it sure looks like Rose is playing about as well as Chicago could have hoped for.
Rose was quiet in Game 2 after scoring 23 in Game 1. On Thursday, he was back to playing like one of the most unstoppable one-on-one players in the NBA. Rose's combination of speed and strength was simply too much for Michael Carter-Williams to handle. When his three-pointers started falling and he could use the threat of his jumper to set up the drive, it was pretty much game over.
Is Rose back to his 2011 form? That’s the wrong question to be asking. If nothing else, Rose is playing about as well as he has all season, and it gives Chicago hope that a series with Cleveland might not be the end of the year.
2. Joakim Noah doesn't look right, and it's an issue for Chicago
The Bulls have a Joakim Noah problem. It’s been that way for the majority of the season.
Noah had offseason knee surgery, and really hasn’t looked right since. There are times when he can still bring energy defensively -- as evidence by the 19 rebounds he grabbed in Game 2 -- but he’s been a zero on offense most of the season. That trend continued in Game 3.
Noah was a plus-four in plus-minus, by far the lowest mark of Chicago’s starters (everyone else was in double figures). When he was on the floor, Chicago couldn’t score. When he was off the floor, it seemed like they scored at will. If you look ahead to a series with the Cavs, Noah is starting to look like Chicago’s biggest question mark.
3. The Bucks will be back
This matchup was always going to be tough for Milwaukee. Chicago is just 90 miles away from the city and Bulls fans always invade the Bradley Center whenever the two teams meet. Bucks fans brought their A-game on Thursday, but it still didn’t feel like a true home game.
The future is bright for Jason Kidd's young Bucks. Antetokounmpo played his best playoff game yet. Jabari Parker will be back next season as he recovers from a torn ACL. The Bucks might not be ready to compete just yet, but they could be soon.
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