The reigning world champion Milwaukee Bucks proved to be all too much for an injury depleted Bulls cruising to a 4-1 series victory after a dominant 116-110 victory on Wednesday night.

The Bulls entered Wednesday night in a tough position missing guard Zach Lavine due to health and safety protocols which added to their already long injury list. Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball were also listed out for Game 5 due to injuries suffered prior to Wednesday.

Ayo Dosunmo and Javonte Green were placed in the starting lineups for Wednesday to replace the injured Lavine and Caruso as the Bulls looked to try to keep their playoff hopes alive. Despite the Bulls desperation, the Bucks dominance was apparent from the very beginning of the game as they took a 34-18 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended it 60-42 at half.

The Bucks defense shut down DeMar DeRozen allowing him 0 points in the first 26 minutes as he only attempted a single shot in the first quarter. DeRozen showcased his high offensive IQ in the first half routinely finding open shooters, but despite getting the open shots, the Bulls were unable to capitalize and knock them down.

The second half brought more of the first half struggles for the Bulls as the Bucks cruised to the 116-110 win sending the Bulls into the offseason. Antetokounmpo ended the game with 33 points and nine rebounds as he dominated the paint leaving the Bulls with no answer defensively. Pat Connaughton contributed an additional 20 points, and Bobby Portis ended the night with 14 points.

Following the game Bulls coach Billy Donavan told the media “It was pretty obvious they were going to load up on DeMar. I thought he played a great game. I thought he generated good shots. He didn’t have a high assist total because we really didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but he would have had an enormous amount of assists if we had shot the ball better.”

DeRozen commented on the injuries that the Bulls faced entering the game saying “This was a lot of our guys’ first rodeo, just understanding what it’s like to compete in a playoff series.

There’s so much you can learn from that experience, especially going against the defending champs.”

Despite the loss the Bulls showed massive improvements from previous years. The Bulls earned their first postseason berth since the 2016-2017 season. The Bulls also finished the season with a regular season record of 46-36 which was the best record since the 2014-2015 season.

Despite the disappointing result Bulls fans have lots to be proud of in a season that reignited one of the best fanbases in sports for many seasons to come.