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Bucks Take Commanding 3-1 Series Lead in First Round of NBA Playoffs

Grayson Allen set playoff career highs with 27 points and six 3-pointers, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds and Milwaukee beat the Chicago Bulls 119-95 on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.

 

Jrue Holiday scored 26, and the defending champion Bucks came away with another easy win after two shaky performances at home.

 

They've outscored the Bulls by a combined 54 points over the past two games. That includes a 111-81 romp Friday that was the most lopsided home playoff loss in franchise history.

 

The Bucks led by 22 early in the third quarter and steadied themselves after a push by Chicago. The defending NBA champions will try to wrap up the series in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

 

Allen delivered another huge effort off the bench, surpassing his previous postseason scoring high of 22 points in Game 3. He made 10 of 12 shots and hit 6 of 7 3s, getting booed once again just about the entire time.

 

Allen, in his first season in Milwaukee, has a bad-boy image from his time at Duke. He is particularly unpopular in Chicago, where fans are upset about a hard foul that resulted in a broken wrist for Bulls guard Alex Caruso during a game in Milwaukee in January.

 

Teammates have since started having fun with the boos, letting him hear it at practices and film sessions, on the bus and at the hotel. And now, they're doing it in games, too.

Allen is 18 of 24 from the field and 11 for 14 on 3-pointers over the past two games. With Khris Middleton expected to miss the remainder of the series after spraining his left knee in Game 2, the Bucks needed it.

 

Antetokounmpo had seven assists. Holiday made five 3s.

 

Bobby Portis added 14 points and 10 rebounds in his second straight start with Middleton out, and the Bucks beat the Bulls for the 19th time in 21 games.

 

Zach LaVine led Chicago with 24 points and 13 assists, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 and Patrick Williams finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Game 5 is Wednesday.

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