Milwaukee Bucks (Scott Skiles) 42-34
vs.
Chicago Bulls (Vinny Del Negro) 37-39
Date: April 6, 2010 Time: 7:00 (CST) TV: FS Wisconsin
Matchups
Point Guard
Brandon Jennings vs. Derrick Rose
Two of the best young point guards in the East go head-to-head once again, this time, with even more at stake. The Bucks win and they clinch a playoff spot without having to back in. The Bulls need all the wins they can get if they really want to make the playoffs. Jennings and Rose will have the ball in their hands all night, leading the charges. Jennings got the best of Rose the last time these teams met, most famously in the highlight above. We could see some changes in the Bucks offense that results in a little more Jennings, especially with Kurt Thomas starting. Thomas does his best work a few steps outside the paint, so in theory that should result in more operating room for Jennings on drives. We’ll see how it all shakes out though. Containing Rose is going to be a HUGE key for the Bucks.
(Probable) Inactives: Joe Alexander and Dan Gadzuric
vs.
Chicago Bulls (Vinny Del-Negro) 14-19
(Probable) Inactives: Lindsey Hunter
Date: 1/8/2010
Time: 7:30 (CST)
TV: FS Wisconsin
Match-Ups
Point Guard
Brandon Jennings vs. Derrick Rose
The last time these teams met, Jennings/Rose was hyped as a potential matchup of the league’s future at point guard. Since then, Tyreke Evans has more or less made fans toss Jennings and Rose on the backburner. Evans has shined as the Kings have outperformed expectations as Jennings and Rose have each struggled for teams that haven’t played well over the past month. Rose has it going lately though, averaging nearly 25 points per game over the Bulls last five games, three of them wins. He’s shot just a shade under 50 percent and is averaging six free throws per game. He’s been attacking and the Bulls have had success. The biggest change has been the free throw attempts; Rose was getting shots early this year, but wasn’t getting many easy baskets from the free throw line. In November Rose shot just 32 free throws, compared with 72 in December. The Bulls winning percentage in those respective months are reflective of it too: .385 and .467. If the Bucks can keep Rose off the line, they’ll increase their odds of winning significantly.
