Giannis drops 41 as Bucks top Bulls

Benny Sieu - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 2 hours ago

MILWAUKEE - There is no denying that the Chicago Bulls (6-2) have gotten off to their best start in years, but even at that, many have yet to believe in this team. If there was ever a time to believe in them, the next two weeks will tell us a lot about this team, as they could go from 6-1 to 6-6 in a short period.

If the Bulls want to turn their doubters into believers, beating the Milwaukee Bucks (6-3) at the Fiserv Forum would be a good start, as this team has had the Bulls' number for nearly a decade. To make things even more interesting, this was game two of the NBA Cup Group Play, which introduces a whole new wrinkle into this rivalry.

As has been the case more often than not, it was the Giannis Antetokounmpo show, as the Bulls had no answers for the big man in the Bucks' 126-110 victory. This game was much closer than the final score indicated, as the Bulls were within single digits most of the night, only to be outscored by 11 in the fourth quarter to turn this game around.

What made things worse for the Bulls was their overall defensive effort in the fourth quarter, as they surrendered 41 points in that final period, making a comeback seem scarce. Their defense has been their calling card all season, especially in crunch time, but you knew at some point they would have an off night, and this was one of those nights for the Bulls.

Part of that had to do with Giannis, who continued to go about his business against the Bulls with a game-high 41 points. Giannis came within one assist of picking up a triple-double as he added 15 rebounds to his offensive numbers, as the Bulls had no answers for him. Not only was he an issue for Chicago, but so were Myles Turner and Ryan Rollins, as all three of them dropped at least 20 points in the win.

For Turner, this is the first time in his career where he may be viewed as a secondary option offensively, and that is a scary thought. With 23 points and seven rebounds, he continues to provide the Bucks with what they were missing last season and has been the perfect complementary piece for Giannis. Rollins, on the other hand, is turning himself into Khris Middleton 2.0, just without the injuries, as his 20 points and four triples continue to play a role in this team's success this season.

Milwaukee also got 11 points each from Cole Anthony and Kyle Kuzma off the bench, but when three gives score nearly 90 points, you tend to win the game more often than not. While Chicago may not have had a player putting up points like Giannis, they continue to excel in many areas, including their balanced offensive attack.

However, this was a game where their offensive flow wasn't as sharp as it had been, as this was the first time in eight games that they had fewer than six players reach double figures. As difficult as that is to believe, the Bulls have been one of the more efficient offenses all season and still had five double-digit scorers to help shoulder the load.

Leading the way for Chicago was second-year man Matas Buzelis, who is trying to work his way out of a mini scoring slump. Buzelis has been solid more often than not this season, but hasn't been as consistent as he would like. Tonight was one of those games where he did a bit of everything, leading the Bulls with 20 points and pulling down eight rebounds.

Fresh off back-to-back triple-doubles, Josh Giddey was well on his way to putting up another huge night as he had 12 points at the half. Then came the second half, where Giddey was held to four points as he settled for 16 in the game. He did, however, add 14 assists for another double-double and seven more rebounds as he continues to be the engine that makes this train go.

Nikola Vucevic chipped in with 16 points in what was a relatively quiet night for him, with Kevin Huerter adding 13 points off the bench to lead the Bulls' second unit. The big story of the night for Chicago was the play of Tre Jones, who continues to excel on the court. After the news broke that Coby White is expected to make his season debut when the Bulls head out on their first West Coast trip of the season, many people wondered what that might do to Jones and his current role.

There is no question that White is a better scorer than Jones, but Jones might be the better overall player, as Billy Donovan will have some things to sort out. Jones certainly isn't going to make it easy for Donovan, as he dropped a season-high 17 points in the losing effort, adding four assists and five rebounds for an all-around strong game. Chicago won't have to wait long to try and get back to their winning ways, as they will be in Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers on Saturday.