Bucks and Warriors Advance in NBA Playoffs

The Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors advanced to their NBA conference semifinals after winning their first round series on April 27th.

Trailing 3-1 in their series with the Bucks, and with Zach LaVine (Covid-19 protocols) and Alex Caruso (concussion protocol) out, the Chicago Bulls had a steep hill to climb in Game 5 in Milwaukee. The Bucks started fast and led 34-18 after one quarter en route to a 116-100 victory to win the series. The Bucks were missing Khris Middleton (MCL sprain) for the last three games, but were able to compensate with their deep bench. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 33 points, while Bobby Portis had a double double with 14 points and 17 rebounds.

Milwaukee will play the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Semifinals. The Celtics swept Brooklyn in their 1st round series and are on a roll. With Middleton possibly missing this entire upcoming series, the defending NBA champions’ depth will be tested. Game 1 is May 1st in Boston.

In San Francisco, Stephen Curry scored 30 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 102-98 win over the Denver Nuggets to take the series 4-1. Golden State had a big 4th quarter, scoring 32 points while holding Denver to just 20. Nikola Jokic, last season’s MVP (who could repeat this year) had a huge game for Denver, scoring 30 points, with 19 rebounds and 8 assists.