Bulls let one slip away late in loss to Bucks |
MILWAUKEE—I know it is only preseason, and none of these games matter, but if the Chicago Bulls' defense continues to play like this during the regular season, it is going to be a long year. For the second straight game, the Bulls not only held a double-digit lead in the first half but couldn't find a way to close things out down the stretch.
This time it came against the Milwaukee Bucks as the Bulls saw a nine-point lead at the half turn into an eight-point deficit after three as the Bucks outscored the Bulls 32-15 in the third quarter. Chicago did a great job battling back late in the game, but it wasn't enough as the Bucks hung on to top the Bulls 111-107. There are some losses that you can live with as a fan, and this is one of them as the Bulls sat all of their starters and still only lost this game by four points. That alone is an encouraging sign, as the Bulls bench players went toe to toe with the Bucks starters most of the night, proving they could hang with this team. With all of the starters, minus Josh Giddey, sitting, things would look drastically different for Billy Donovan as several players would see extended minutes for the first time all year. One of those players was Adama Sanogo, who was inserted into the starting lineup and looked to make another impression. After dominating in the G-League a season ago, the Bulls and Sanogo agreed to another two-way contract this season, but many feel he will earn a spot on the roster where he could provide the team with big minutes. If tonight is any indication of what he can do, there is no way he goes back to the G-League as Sanogo posted a double-double by halftime and led the Bulls with 16 points and 15 boards. Keep in mind he had a 20-20 showing last season, so these games are nothing new to him. Sanogo also led the team with 33 minutes played, as he was the go-to guy offensively. Another player who is going to be fighting for time this season is their first-round pick, Matas Buzelis, who also put forth his best game of the preseason. Despite fouling out and having a rough shooting night overall, the young Wing did his part to finish with 15 points and was one of the leaders off the bench. The same can be said about Talen Horton-Tucker, who continues to prove he is the best option to secure the final bench spot on this team. For the third night in a row, Horton-Tucker was a menace off the bench. He tied Buzelis with 15 points to lead the bench and did that while hauling in six boards and playing tough defense. Those were the three main scorers for the Bulls in this one, but Chicago continued to see good production from Giddey, who not only finished with 12 points but also showed he can knock down a triple every now and then by going 3-4 from deep. That was the theme of the game for the Bulls, as they fired up 54 triples on the night, converting on 17 of them, with 13 coming in the first half. There is no way they can sustain that pace, but at the very least, it showed the fans that they are fearless in putting up triples this season, which has been a big problem for this team in the past. Chris Duarte and Julian Phillips rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Bulls with 10 points and had Phillips played in the second half. You might be talking about a Bulls win. EJ Liddell, Kenny Loftin Jr, and DJ Stewart all say their first action tonight off the bench for the Bulls as they continue battling for that final roster spot. While the Bulls elected to take a reserve approach in this one, the Bucks chose to play their starters, and that has to be a bit of a concern for them, knowing the Bulls kept things this close. As expected, Giannis Antetokoumpo continued to have his way with the Bulls, leading all scorers with 24 points and pulling down 10 boards in just 24 minutes of action. Giannis wasn't alone in having a strong outing. Damian Lillard started to heat up in the second half and finished with 20 points. Those two will once again lead the way for the Bucks. Brooke Lopez (11 points), Gary Trent Jr. (10 points), and Bobby Portis (10 points) put together the rest of the double-digit showings for the Bucks, who will once again be one of the teams to beat in the East this season. Although a loss is never a good thing, knowing that these games don't count is, at the very least, a positive approach to starting the season, as is seeing the growth of many of these players. To make matters worse, Wednesday is going to be an exciting night for the Bulls as they not only return to the court to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Lonzo Ball is expected to see his first action in nearly three years. Any sort of production from him this season would be massive, and if he does come back healthy, it will be interesting to see how the Bulls use him. Expect his minutes to be limited and for him to come off the bench, but he would be a lethal option to deploy, knowing how he plays defense and how fluid the offense has looked when he does run the show.
