Offense comes to life as Bulls stun Bucks |
Milwaukee - When you talk about one team physically dominating another in today's NBA world, the Milwaukee Bucks (1-1) come to mind, as they have dominated the Chicago Bulls (1-1) over the past decade. Since Giannis Antetkoumpo has become one of the best players in the game, he has not only put up his best numbers against the Bulls, but his team is 25-3 against Chicago dating back to 2017.
That includes one playoff loss at home at the Fiserv Forum, where the Bulls and Bucks battled for the first of their four meetings this season. Given how much the Bulls have struggled defensively since the preseason, many expected this to be a high-scoring game with blowout implications in the Bucks' favor. They got half of that right, as this was indeed a high-scoring game, but it was the Bulls who found a way to get the job done. They took down the Bucks 133-122 to pick up their first win of the season. They managed to pick up the win by scoring 70 second-half points and connecting on 21 triples after struggling from beyond the arc on Wednesday. Coby White was a big reason for the Bulls' overall success, especially from distance. He knocked down seven of his 13 triples to set the tone for their offense. It's amazing what a difference one game makes. White struggled to find his shot against the Pelicans, but he was in one of those groves where you felt like he wasn't going to miss. He led the Bulls with 35 points. Significant scoring outputs were the theme for both teams, but it was the Bulls having all five of their starters land in double figures, which is something they need a lot more of this season. For the second straight game, Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic did what they do best, as they are starting to look like the 2019 versions of themselves. LaVine managed to back White with his 25 points, while Mr. Double-double himself finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds to give Chicago three big-time scoring options. While those were the main three guys for Chicago, you also had Josh Giddey come away with 17 points and nine assists, and Patrick Williams added 13 points as the entire starting five of Chicago had a great night. Anytime you get that production from your starting five, you like a team's chances of winning, but you still need to get some sort of production from your bench. Jalen Smith continues to offer the second-unit production they are looking for, as his 11 points made it six double-digit scorers for the Bulls. He was the only one off the bench doing anything as the rest of the Bulls second unit combined for just 10 points in the victory. Although this wasn't a typical Bulls vs. Bucks game, where the Bucks got the win, it was just another day at the office for Giannis, who led all scorers with 38 points and 11 rebounds. There is just something about facing the Bulls that brings out the best in Giannis, as he dominates them on both ends of the floor. As was the case in the Bucks' season-opening win against the Sixers, this team will only go as far as the Giannis and Lillard duo takes them as Damian Lillard continues to play well. After struggling to find consistency last season, Lillard is starting to come into his own with the Bucks. He backed Giannis with 28 points while dishing out eight assists. Like the Bulls, the Bucks' overall production came from their starting five, as four of their five starters had double figures. Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince got in on the fun, with Prince picking up 11 points and Trent Jr. adding 10. Had it not been for Brook Lopez's seven-point night, who knows how this game will turn out, as he was held to one of the lowest point totals of his career against the Bulls. Unlike the Bulls, whose bench struggled to score, the Bucks had plenty of production from their second unit, even if no one wound up with at least 10 points. AJ Green and Bobby Portis did their thing with nine points, but Portis pulled in 12 boards as he continues to be one of the better sixth-man players in the NBA. Things won't get any easier for this Bulls team as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday for their home opener.
