The Milwaukee Bucks began their NBA Cup title defense with a 126-110 win over their I-94 rival, the Chicago Bulls. Giannis put on a clinic, going for 41 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, while Myles Turner went for 23 points, seven rebounds, and four steals. Matas Buzelis was the only Bull to score 20+, with 20 points and eight rebounds on 8/12 from the field. Josh Giddey had 16 points, 14 assists, and seven rebounds.
It was not the start the Bucks were looking for out of the gate against Chicago. Milwaukee missed their first five shots, and Matas Buzelis went 3/3 on layups to take an 8-1 lead with 8:55 on the clock. The lone point came from a Giannis free throw. AJ Green scored on the next possession for their first field goal of the game. Despite that hot start for the Bulls, it wasn’t an offensive showcase for either side in the first quarter. The two sides combined for just 48 points and shot 19/44 (43.1%) from the floor. Chicago did lead by as many as eight points, but the Bucks battled back, going on a 7-2 run in the final 2:37 of the quarter. That run cut the Bulls’ lead down to just two points heading into the second quarter, 25-23.
After a sluggish offensive showing, both sides started to find their rhythm in a back-and-forth affair. Bobby Portis got things rolling with a three-pointer, giving the Bucks their first lead of the night. Doc Rivers had been relying on all-bench lineups in an effort to keep Giannis and Myles Turner on the floor together for as much as possible. Yet, tonight, they staggered the two throughout the quarter to great effect. Turner scored five more points, but the Bucks weren’t able to create a sizeable gap over Chicago. The biggest lead for either side was just three points throughout most of the quarter until Giannis checked back in with 5:10 left in the frame. Milwaukee went on a 7-2 run to go up by six with 3:46 to go. The Bucks’ offense then stalled, scoring just four points from then on, going 2/6 from the field. That cold stretch allowed the Bulls to get back into it, outscoring the Bucks 9-4 and cutting the Bucks’ lead down to one point, 53-52, heading into the locker room.
Chicago kept up the momentum they built to end the half into the third quarter. The Bulls raced out to a 7-2 run to take a four-point lead in the early stages. The Bucks were able to regain their footing, thanks to a blistering 8-0 run to take a four-point lead of their own, before Kevin Huerter threw down a dunk to force Rivers to call a timeout. Milwaukee continued to force the issue, building up the lead to 18-2, to take a 12-point advantage halfway through the quarter. Like in any good rivalry game, the team that’s down never really goes away, and that’s what the Bulls did. They went on a 7-0 run to cut the Bucks’ lead back down to just five points in just a minute and 13 seconds of game time. Milwaukee was able to keep the Bulls at bay, thanks to Kyle Kuzma and Portis, building their lead back up to eight points with 1:49 remaining in the third quarter. Buzelis was able to end the quarter on a good note for Chicago, nailing a step-back three, cutting the Bucks’ lead down to 85-80 heading into the final stanza.
Milwaukee was looking to put away Chicago early, building their lead up to nine points in the early moments of the fourth. The Bulls continued to hang around, cutting Milwaukee’s lead to just three after Isaac Okoro hit a couple of layups, Ayo Dosunmu hit a reverse, and Patrick Williams nailed a three with 8:33 to go. Then, midway through the quarter, the Bucks were finally able to break the game open. After Chicago cut the lead to five with 5:29 to go, the Bucks went on an 11-2 run, thanks to big shots from Giannis, Turner, and Rollins. That spurt got them a 14-point lead with 3:15 on the clock. The Bulls really weren’t able to generate much offense, scoring just 12 points in the final 8:33 of the game. The Bucks were able to coast from there and stay unbeaten in NBA Cup group play.
The Bucks really hunkered down on the defensive glass after the first quarter, where they gave up four offensive rebounds. After the first, the Bucks only gave up four O-boards for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Milwaukee inhaled 10 offensive rebounds themselves. Overall, they outrebounded Chicago 59-51 on the night.
