Giannis Antetokounmpo returns, Bucks roll to win over Bulls

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 factors and 17 rebounds in his return to motion and the Milwaukee Bucks prolonged their current mastery of the Chicago Bulls with a 126-98 blowout on Tuesday night time.

Antetokounmpo missed the Bucks’ 138-119 loss at Minnesota on Saturday attributable to a sore proper knee. Milwaukee performed with out All-Star ahead Khris Middleton, who was coping with a sore left wrist.

“He took a fall within the Minnesota sport, and it was fairly sore and stiff, so we’ve had it checked out,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer stated earlier than the sport. “We really feel prefer it’s quick time period, however we’ll see how he feels the subsequent day or two.”

Jrue Vacation had a game-high 27 factors to associate with seven assists and no turnovers because the Bucks received for the fifteenth time of their final 16 conferences with the Bulls, together with all three matchups this season. Chicago’s lone win throughout that stretch got here within the 2019-20 regular-season finale, when the Bucks rested their starters as a result of they had been locked into the East’s No. 3 playoff seed.

“Jrue was being Jrue,” Antetokounmpo stated. “Jrue was being aggressive, making good selections, getting downhill, getting all people concerned, guarding Zach (LaVine). All people was doing their job. Clearly we knew that Khris wasn’t taking part in, and Khris is a giant a part of our crew and what we do right here, however on the finish of the day, even with the crew that we’ve got, we’re a fantastic crew.”

Brook Lopez had 10 factors and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes for Milwaukee after making his first begin for the reason that season opener. The 7-footer had come off the bench for the Bucks’ final three video games after lacking 67 attributable to a again harm that required surgical procedure.

The Bucks shot 61% from the ground and had seven gamers rating in double figures. The Bulls shot simply 42.4%.

“Pictures we might need them to take, they made,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan stated. “It was an evening the place they actually, actually had it going. Credit score to them. And it was an evening we simply did not shoot the ball significantly effectively.”

Nikola Vucevic had 22 factors for the Bulls, who opened a five-game journey one night time after a 113-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors. DeMar DeRozan and LaVine added 21 factors every because the Bulls misplaced for the ninth time in 12 video games.

“In some unspecified time in the future, we have to get uninterested in getting our butt kicked like this and flip that swap of understanding, all proper, sufficient is sufficient,” DeRozan stated. “Now it is time to flip it round and present that desperation.”

Milwaukee took command with a 23-4 spurt that started late within the first quarter and continued within the second.

After trailing by 23 late within the second interval, the Bulls lower the result in 64-54 early within the third. However the Bucks regrouped and pulled away once more, finally main by as many as 35.

LATE T’S

Milwaukee’s Serge Ibaka and Chicago’s Tristan Thompson every acquired technical fouls late within the fourth quarter after they acquired into a quick tussle on an inbounds go try.

TIP-INS

Bulls: Patrick Williams remained on a minutes restriction in his second sport again after lacking 65 with a torn ligament in his left wrist. He has performed 18 minutes every of the final two video games. … DeRozan did not have a single free-throw try. He was 17 of 18 from the road the final time the Bulls visited Milwaukee.

Bucks: George Hill was fined $15,000 after getting ejected from Saturday’s loss for shoving Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley from behind. Beverley, who shoved Ibaka from behind earlier within the altercation, was fined $20,000. … Bulls followers made up a sizeable minority of the gang, so Grayson Allen acquired a mixture of loud cheers and boos at any time when he was launched. It was the Bulls’ first sport again in Milwaukee since Jan. 21, when Allen was ejected for a flagrant foul on Alex Caruso that induced the Bulls guard to overlook 22 video games with a fractured proper wrist. The groups confronted one another in Chicago on March 4.

UP NEXT

Bulls: At New Orleans on Thursday. The Bulls beat the Pelicans 128-112 in Chicago on Oct. 22.

Bucks: Host the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The Bucks have cut up two earlier conferences with the Wizards.