Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
We inform. You decide.
Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, right, celebrates with guard Jimmy Butler, center, and forward Mike Dunleavy after Butler scored a basket during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday, April 18, 2015, in Chicago. The Bulls won 103-91.</p>

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, right, celebrates with guard Jimmy Butler, center, and forward Mike Dunleavy after Butler scored a basket during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday, April 18, 2015, in Chicago. The Bulls won 103-91.

With the first weekend of the playoffs in the books, nine former Gators are hoping to make it out of the first round.

The No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls, defeated the No. 6 seed Milwaukee Bucks 91-82 on Monday night in Chicago.

Joakim Noah, who was restricted to 32 minutes per game in the regular season to keep him fresh for the playoffs, wasn’t the force the Bulls were used to seeing in the paint in the first two games of the series.

Noah had just six points to go along with 11 rebounds on Saturday in the first game of the series, and he followed up that performance by scoring six points again on Monday night.

The Bulls won’t play again until Thursday night at 8 when the teams travel to Milwaukee to play the next two games in the series.

Chandler Parsons, who signed a 3-year, $46 million contract with Dallas in the offseason, scored 10 points on Saturday but the Mavericks couldn’t beat the Houston Rockets, inevitably falling 118-108.

Parsons was drafted by the Rockets in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft and he quickly turned into a steal for Houston.

Despite the loss of Parsons, and missing star center Dwight Howard for 41 games, the Rockets have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season.

The team got career performances from guard James Harden, eventually securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Former Gator Corey Brewer, who was traded to the Rockets midway through the season, provided quality scoring down the stretch for Houston on Saturday. He scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Bradley Beal probably didn’t have the playoff performance he would have liked, but it was the result he wanted.

The Washington Wizards toppled the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs on Saturday, with Beal providing some necessary scoring for the Wizards.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox

Beal shot just 6-for-23 from the field in the overtime victory, but he finished with 19 points.

The third-year guard out of Florida also locked down Raptors guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry finished with just seven points in 33 minutes before fouling out with 2:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. The teams tip-off tonight at 8, and the Wizards are hoping to head home to D.C. with two road victories.

Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, right, celebrates with guard Jimmy Butler, center, and forward Mike Dunleavy after Butler scored a basket during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday, April 18, 2015, in Chicago. The Bulls won 103-91.

Support your local paper
Donate Today
The Independent Florida Alligator has been independent of the university since 1971, your donation today could help #SaveStudentNewsrooms. Please consider giving today.

Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2024 The Independent Florida Alligator and Campus Communications, Inc.