The star-deficient Chicago Bulls once again caused problems for the Milwaukee Bucks, but unlike their previous encounter, the Bucks pulled out a 133-129 overtime win on Monday night at Fiserv Forum.
The Bulls, who won in overtime on Nov. 30 at the United Center without stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, played without LaVine and Alex Caruso on Monday and watched the Bucks limit All-Star center Nikola Vucevic to 37.5% shooting.
However, DeRozan scored a season-high 41 goals and Coby White scored 33 and the Bulls again converted a tying basket in the final seconds of regulation, this time with DeRozan hitting a short jumper to tie the game with 3.7 seconds remaining to force overtime. .
In overtime, the Bucks missed three free throws to keep the Bulls within striking distance until Damian Lillard sank two shots with ten seconds left to settle the score 133-129.
Square score: Bucks 133, Bulls 129 (overtime)
Seven Bucks finished in double figures in points, including Giannis Antetokounmpo (32), Brook Lopez (19), Malik Beasley (19), Bobby Portis (17), Lillard (14), Khris Middleton (13) and AJ Green ( 12). . Middleton led the Bucks with 13 rebounds and provided six assists.
Patrick Williams had 15 points for Chicago while Vucevic had 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds. DeRozan also had 11 assists.
Milwaukee improved to 16-7 to snap Chicago’s (9-16) four-game winning streak — which began with this win over the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo turns it around late
Giannis Antetokounmpo started the game slowly, making just two shots in the first half and five through three quarters. He had 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting (thanks to six free throws) by the time the Bulls completely erased a 14-point deficit to tie the game with nine minutes remaining, and the two-time league MVP showed off his aggressive scoring from there.
In the final nine minutes, he was 5-for-7 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free throw line, with his only 10-second miss coming from the offense. He scored 15 points to give the Bucks the lead before the final seconds.
In overtime, Antetokounmpo added five more points and grabbed two defensive rebounds. He finished with a team-high 32 points and had 12 rebounds and six assists. He was 9-for-13 from the floor and 14-for-18 from the free throw line.
Did you notice?
Khris Middleton hit Brook Lopez in the chest with a pass to the corner, trying to hit Damian Lillard behind Lopez’s screen. Fortunately for the Bucks, Middleton’s rocket shot rebounded off his colleague to maintain possession of the ball. Middleton then passed the ball back to Lopez in the corner, who put it on the floor and eventually sent a lob to Antetokounmpo for a perfect basket, giving the Bucks a 109-105 lead.
Damian Lillard is having a humbling night
Bucks point guard Damian Lillard was a playmaker with a team-high nine assists on the night, but after hitting his first shot of the game, he was just 1-for-14 from the field the rest of the way in regulation. He attempted only six shots in the second half overall, including a 46-footer at the buzzer for the game-winning attempt.
He’s typically made up for poor shooting nights with trips to the free throw line, but against the Bulls he was just 4 of 5 from the charity stripe in regulation (with one attempt coming on a three-second defensive technical foul).
But that doesn’t mean the Bucks won’t look to him to shut him down.
With the Bucks leading 117-116 with 29 seconds left in the game, Lillard tried to reach the bucket, but he slipped and fell as soon as he dribbled it behind his back. That led to a Milwaukee stoppage with 20.3 seconds left and 12 seconds on the shot clock, and after Khris Middleton tipped it to Antetokounmpo, the ball was back in Lillard’s hands as he made two free throws to give the Bucks a 118-116 lead. . Unfortunately, the Bulls were able to tie the game on the next possession and force overtime.
In the extra session, he went 1-for-2 and hit two free throws with 10.2 seconds left to give the Bucks a 133-129 lead. Lillard finished the game with 14 points on 3-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-9 from behind the three-point line.
5 numbers
4 First-half 3-pointers by Bucks guard AJ Green in the 11th minute. Green was 3-for-4 from deep against New York on December 5. He helped Milwaukee shoot 60% (12-for-20) from behind the arc in the first 24 minutes, which saw the Bucks take a 74-65 lead. During the break. Last season, Green made at least three threes on seven different occasions.
3-1 Bucks scored when he played a team after losing to them. Milwaukee followed up losses to Atlanta, Toronto and Chicago with wins after suffering an initial defeat. The only team with wins against Milwaukee so far this season is Indiana, which won on Nov. 9 and Dec. 7. The Bucks host the Pacers on Wednesday.
4-3 The Bucks have scored against the Bulls since the 2022-23 season. It’s been quite the change since the second half of the 2017-18 season when Milwaukee began a 12-game winning streak that spanned four seasons. From January 28, 2018 through April 5, 2022, the Bucks posted an impressive 16-1 record.
69.2 100% shooting from the field for Giannis Antetokounmpo, marking the sixth straight game in which he has shot at least 60% from the floor. This set a new career high for the 29-year-old. He had previously shot 60% or better in five straight games from December 12-21, 2018. The last Bucks player to be this efficient off the court for six straight games was Jared Dudley from January 22-31, 2015. Seven in a row.
10/29/23 Date of the Bucks’ last loss at home to Atlanta. The Bucks have now won 10 straight at Fiserv Forum since then. The Bucks had won nine straight at Fiserv Forum before losing to the Bulls.
Alex Caruso has been ruled out for the Bulls game
Guard Alex Caruso tested his left ankle before the game but was ultimately ruled out by Chicago. Caruso hit a 3-pointer over Brook Lopez at the end of regulation that led the Bulls to a 3-pointer over the Bucks in overtime on November 30.
Pax injury report
- Pat Connaughton, out (sprained right ankle) Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said Connaughton will get some court work Monday and is hopeful he can return to action in about a week. Connaughton sprained his ankle against Miami on November 29.
- Jae Crowder, out (left adductor muscle surgery)
- Chris LivingstonOUT (Sprained Left Ankle) The rookie outfielder injured his ankle during his G League stint with the Wisconsin Herd, Griffin said.
Bobby Portis and Adrian Griffin talk in the locker room after losing the season championship to the Pacers
Many Bucks players left Las Vegas feeling a little disappointed with the way their 128-119 loss to the Pacers ended. Antetokounmpo pointed to a general lack of organization on the offensive end and said players need to perform better down the stretch. Lillard and Middleton had meltdowns where the ball was turned over in a key spot and both talked about being better in that situation.
a Bleacher report The story said late Thursday that Bobby Portis interrupted coach Adrian Griffin’s postgame speech to the team and called on the coach and the team to be better.
Both Griffin and Portis addressed the report Sunday after practice:
Griffin: “I’m not going to comment on what’s been reported. We’re a passionate group. We hate to lose. We’re a group together. I love coaching this group. We only have winners and guys of high character. Whatever” the internal dialogue happens in our locker room, and it stays In our locker room. But, we had a great, great training today. Probably one of our best practices. I love the atmosphere in the gym. Great energy. Then we just get ready for Chicago.”
Portis: “I don’t want to talk too much about what happens in our locker room. What happens in our locker room is just a sacred thing between us. That’s how it’s always been. I don’t know how it gets reported. But, at the same time, man Just a competitor. I love competition. I think I’m a leader. I lead by voice and I also lead by example. Just some of the things I’ve developed over my career and my time here. “I’ve been here for over 1,000 days now, so the guys know me, they know who I am. They know I wear my heart on my sleeve. I compete at a high level on a daily basis, whether the shots are going or not, whether I’m playing well or not. No, I’m here to improve the team. So just being a leader, being a voice and everyone else’s opinions outside of our team, that’s just their opinion of me or our team. “I’m here for all the right reasons.”
Giannis was named to the First Team All-Tournament during the season
The Bucks’ run in Las Vegas ended early with a semifinal loss to Indiana on Thursday, but because of his efforts during the team’s six preseason tournament games, Antetokounmpo was named to the all-tournament team.
He was joined by reigning MVP LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant and Oshkosh native Tyrese Haliburton.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 29 points per game on 64.6% shooting in the Bucks’ championship games. He also averaged 8.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists.
“Food ninja. Friendly thinker. Explorer. Entrepreneur. Zombie junkie.