The Chicago Bulls just got a huge break in their series with the Bucks

Wednesday night, the Chicago Bulls came out with a vengeance against the Milwaukee Bucks. After going down in the series 1-0, the Bulls’ goal was to try and steal a game of home court advantage in Game 2.

Fortunately for Billy Donovan’s crew, they did just that, winning by a score of 114-110.

It was a real team effort, as DeMar DeRozan’s 41 points led the way but the Bulls got a huge effort from Nikola Vucevic as well. Meanwhile, it was Alex Caruso who was the x-factor on this night, tallying nine points, 10 assists, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Caruso was all over the court defensively, taking matchups with anyone who had the ball, quite frankly. From blocking Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, to forcing turnovers on Jrue Holiday, Caruso’s effort was a work of art.

One other Bucks star who received Caruso’s assignment often, Khris Middleton, started to heat up in the second half despite the strong defense. Unfortunately for the Bucks, Middleton exited the game early after racking up 15 second half points. Now, we have news on the future of Middleton’s series.

The Chicago Bulls will not have to face Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton for the remainder of their first round series.

The official word on Middleton is an MCL sprain.

Game 1 was forgettable for the Bucks star, as he put up just 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting and 1-for-7 from deep. Wednesday night, though, was a different story. As mentioned, Middleton began heating up as Milwaukee cut back on Chicago’s lead. 15 second half points were enough to get Bucks fans excited for the typical second half surge from their All Star.

After exiting, the Bucks did end up continuing to chip away, but fell short. Had Middleton not left the game, who knows what would have happened.

Now, without Middleton for the remainder of the series, Milwaukee is going to have to rely heavily on guys like Wes Matthews and Pat Connaughton to fill those shoes. Although both can be effective three-point shooters, neither can create their own shots like Middleton can.

With the Bulls returning home for Game 3 and Game 4, the home court advantage won’t be the only one for Chicago. This is now the perfect opportunity for Donovan and the Bulls to take hold of this series, as they have seemed to find their mojo once more.

Not having to face the Bucks’ second All Star in Middleton is an enormous advantage. Giannis is the obvious threat, but now the Bucks will likely focus more on working through Lopez, too. The strategy for Milwaukee changes. But, for the Bulls, it remains the same. Keep the defensive energy and create offense based on those turnovers.