Playing without their leading scorer Thursday night in the last game before the All-Star break, the Chicago Bulls lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 112-100 at the United Center.
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went to the locker room midway through second quarter after crashing into a stanchion as he attempted to block a Coby White shot. Both players tumbled to the court and remained down for a minute, but White emerged unscathed.
Advertisement
Antetokounmpo did not return to the game having suffered a sprained right wrist. But the Bucks still manhandled the Bulls.
The Bulls enter the All-Star break having lost six straight, their longest skid of the season.
Advertisement
- The Bulls failed to log more than 100 points for the fourth time in the last six games. DeMar DeRozan’s absence clearly contributed to the scoring drought, but the Bulls also struggled from the floor, shooting 38.1% (37-for-97) and managing only 19 assists.
- The Bucks took a 15-point lead in the opening quarter and never looked back. The Bulls defense couldn’t contain the Bucks even without DeRozan. They ripped off a 10-point lead in less than two minutes in the fourth quarter to take a 98-78 lead with 7:38 remaining, carrying that dominant margin into mop-up time.
- The Bulls continued to break out of their previous scoring rut from behind the arc, but they couldn’t bring enough firepower to match the Bucks from deep. The Bucks went 18-for-47 (38.7%) from behind the arc while the Bulls went 10-for-32 (31.3%) for a 54-30 scoring edge.
- Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks turned to a slightly less likely starter to buoy their offense — Brook Lopez. The center scored 33 points and scorched the Bulls from deep, going 3-for-6 on 3-pointers. Jevon Carter went 4-for-5 from 3-point range and finished with 22 points.
- The loss offered a growth opportunity for rookie Dalen Terry and rotation players such as Carlik Jones, who was called up from the Windy City Bulls of the G League for the last two games. Terry showcased the same high-motor energy on defense, forcing back-to-back turnovers in the third quarter and logging a team-high five offensive rebounds. He finished with 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting. Patrick Williams scored 16 points, flying for a one-handed slam in the third quarter and finishing 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
”It just gives me an opportunity to prove to everybody why I should be out there.”
— Terry, who logged more minutes in the last three games (51) than in the rest of the season (37).
The Bulls were short-handed once again. In addition to DeRozan’s absence, they were missing Alex Caruso (left foot), Derrick Jones Jr. (left adductor strain) and Goran Dragić (left knee soreness).
The Bulls are 26-33 and remain in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls are off for the All-Star break until playing host to the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 24 at the United Center. Second-year guard Ayo Dosunmu will participate in the Rising Stars game Friday and DeRozan will be a reserve for the All-Star Game on Sunday in Salt Lake City.
