Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
In their final home game before a four-game trip to the West Coast, the Chicago Bulls lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 113-97 on Friday night at the United Center.
Here are 10 observations:
—Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the NBA in points in the paint and scored 24 of his 46 points there on Friday. This is the most points Antetokounmpo has scored against the Bulls in his career. He also had 16 rebounds and six assists.
—The Bucks frustrated the Bulls all night with their typically physical play. DeMar DeRozan lost his composure with 31.5 seconds left in the third, fouling Bobby Portis Jr. hard enough away from the ball that a minor scuffle ensued. As Patrick Beverley clapped, smiled and chirped at his former Bulls teammates and congratulated Portis Jr., DeRozan committed a technical foul. DeRozan’s foul was later upgraded to a flagrant foul after video review. The Bucks got three free throws — making two — and possession, missing a 3-pointer.
Then, with 9:27 remaining, Nikola Vucevic was ejected for a flagrant foul on AJ Green. Vucevic was frustrated after not being fouled on Portis Jr’s physical defense at the other end and tied Green up without any attempt at possession. The Bucks scored 13 of their 17-0 run after Vucevic was sent off.
Beverley and Portis Jr. played well against their former team, finishing with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
—DeRozan became 35th player in NBA history to reach the 23,000 point mark. But it hasn’t been easy. He finished with 12 points and nine assists on 5-of-13 shooting.
But DeRozan missed all six shots in the first half and didn’t score until he made two free throws with 24.7 seconds left in the first half. DeRozan had seven assists in the first half, but it was clear that Bucks coach Doc Rivers’ defensive strategy was to take the ball out of DeRozan’s hands. Before the game, Rivers joked about asking his son, Spencer, who is an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons, how they tried to keep DeRozan. And Spencer Rivers told his father, “Don’t do it.” ” To which Doc replied, “I’m like, ‘Duh. We already know that. » DeRozan scored his first basket on the first possession of the second half, just 15 seconds after halftime.
—Onuralp Bitim followed his NBA milestone Wednesday with six points and four rebounds. His best stretch came in the final seconds of the third quarter when he strongly contested a Damian Lillard miss and followed with a 3-pointer to send the Bulls into the fourth with a 10-point deficit.
Before the match, Bitim shared more endearing moments when he called his father’s participation in Wednesday’s match “the best moment of my life.” Both of Bitim’s parents played professionally overseas and Bitim left a successful career in Turkey simply to sign a two-way contract, which has since been converted to a standard NBA deal.
“It was my biggest dream to play in the NBA,” Bitim said. “I always had this dream and I believed in myself and my talent. It was a risk. But I think I bet on myself. I rolled the dice. But it wasn’t a game of chance for me. I trusted in hard work, faith and God. Here we are.”
—Alex Caruso returned after missing a game with hamstring soreness, his reward? Keeping Antetokounmpo. You could almost hear the pre-match conversation: “Alex, how’s the hamstring?” GOOD? OK, can you sometimes guard Giannis and maybe Damian Lillard? Ok thank you.”
But seriously.
“We didn’t think it was anything too serious. Just with him, you have to be careful. He knows his body. He’s been in the league for a while and he communicates well,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Most often he will push to play. But he also understands that this must not continue.”
—Donovan went into his double lineup just 4 minutes and 7 seconds after the announcement, replacing Caruso with Andre Drummond. Caruso often takes a break early, but Drummond’s arrival was a nod to the muscles of Antetokounmpo, whose shot he quickly blocked.
—Antetokounmpo leads the NBA in fast break points and has been extremely aggressive. He attempted six free throws in the first 6:16 and scored 11 points in the first quarter.
—Jae Crowder started for Khris Middleton, who sat out with a sprained ankle. Crowder missed the first three games this season due to injury and provided his typically physical defense and timely shooting, beating the halftime buzzer with a 3-pointer.
— Beverley, who the Bulls signed via the buyout market last season, and Danilo Gallinari, who the Bulls attempted to sign on the buyout market this year, both played for the Bucks. Ayo Dosunmu blasted Beverley with a screen in the third quarter, getting called for a foul with his physical approach.
—Donovan used a 10-man rotation, surprisingly using Terry Taylor as well as spot minutes for Jevon Carter and Julian Phillips. Bitim and Drummond were the main replacements. Carter only logged 3 minutes against his former team.
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