Bulls lose to Bucks for 28th out of last 31 tries |
MILWAUKEE—It's hard to believe that the Milwaukee Bucks (6-9) entered Wednesday nine games out of first place and were sitting in last place in the Central Division. This team has been one of the best in the Eastern Conference for the past eight seasons, but for whatever reason, they haven't been able to figure things out this season.
With the Chicago Bulls (6-10) coming to the Fiserv Forum on Wednesday, this had the potential of a get-right game. The Bucks were looking to win their fourth game in their last five as they continue to battle back from a slow start. When you talk about teams that have owned the Bulls, look no further than the Bucks, who have won 28 of their last 31 meetings against this team, with one of those losses coming earlier this season. Throughout most of the first half, it looked as if the Bucks were going to run away with another victory, as they opened up a massive 18-point lead midway through the second quarter. That is when the Bulls started to play the way they are capable of, as facing large deficits isn't an issue for this team. They pulled within one late in the third before fading in the final quarter to fall to Milwaukee 122-106. Although not a surprising loss, the Bulls were dealt a tough blow even before the game started. Patrick Williams was experiencing some complications with his surgically repaired foot and will now miss the next week. In place of him was Torrey Craig, making his first start of the season. With his 15 points, he looked better than Williams has for most of the season. Craig was one of four starters and five players to land in double figures, as it was the Zach Lavine show again for Chicago. Say what you will about the trade talks and all of that surrounding Lavine. The bottom line is that he has put those talks in the rearview for now and has gotten off to the best start of his career to finish with a team-high 27 points. He was the only player to finish with 20 or more points for Chicago, as Coby White and Nikola Vucevic each added 14 points in a quiet night for them. Looking at the Bulls bench, it was an unsung hero who had a great night with Dalen Terry stealing the show. Terry continued to bring the energy the team lacked and finished with 10 points, as they needed him to play like that the rest of the way. As has been the case most of his career against the Bulls, Giannis Antetokoumpo had his way as the Bulls have never had an answer for him. He was a model of efficiency from start to finish, putting up 24 shots in 35 minutes and connecting on 17 of those shots to lead all scorers with 41 points. For the Bucks to be at their best, Giannis needs to play like an MVP, but they also need Brook Lopez and Damian Lillard to step up their play as they have yet to be consistent thus far. Both of them got back to looking like their normal selves. Lillard finished with 20 points and 10 assists while also knocking down several tough shots in the fourth quarter. Lopez also got in on the fun with 21 points, as those were the only starters to score in the game. You heard that right. The Bucks only had three starters scoring points, yet they finished with 122 points against this Bulls defense. That goes to show how good their bench is, as this team has much more depth than in seasons past. Sharp shooter AJ Green is a big reason for that depth, as he knocked down 5-7 from beyond the arc to finish with 18 points. You also had Gary Trent Jr. showing off his range as he knocked down three triples to finish with 11 points. Those two accounted for eight of the Bucks' 13 made triples as they continued to have their way with the Bulls. While a loss is a loss, no matter how you look at it, there are some positives to take away. The single biggest takeaway is the Bulls' three-point shooting, as they not only are firing up the triple but have been one of the more improved shooting teams from deep. Chicago knocked down 17 more triples on 45 attempts, which comes out to a solid 37%. Chicago will be back on the court Friday as they prepare for their third of three back-to-backs in November.
