Poor Start Dooms Bulls In 108-97 Loss To Bucks
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and Jabari Parker added 28 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 108-97 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.
Milwaukee led the entire game and held a 24-point advantage early in the fourth quarter but had to hold on to snap a three-game losing streak, its longest of the season.
Antetokounmpo has totaled 88 points and 35 rebounds in his last three games, and Parker has reached at least 27 points in four of his last five.
Chicago lost for the fifth time in seven games and dropped its third straight on the road despite 21 points from Jimmy Butler and 20 from Dwyane Wade. The Bulls also got 19 points from Taj Gibson in the opener of a home-and-home between the teams on back-to-back nights.
The Bucks went up 95-71 on a dunk by Antetokounmpo with 10:01 remaining. But then Chicago cut the deficit in half by scoring the next 12 points, with 10 of them coming from Wade. His two free throws trimmed the margin to 95-83 with 7:14 to go.
Milwaukee led by at least eight the rest of the way.
The Bucks' biggest lead of the night was 27 on a dunk by Tony Snell that made it 58-31 with 3:40 left in the second quarter.
The advantage was 64-45 at halftime, as Antetokounmpo (20), Parker (17) and Mirza Teletovic (10) combined to outscore Chicago by two points.
Milwaukee shot 80 percent (8 for 10) from 3-point range while Chicago was 1 for 9 (11.1 percent) from beyond the arc in the first two quarters.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Rajan Rondo returned to the starting lineup after missing Tuesday's game against Minnesota because of a right ankle sprain. . Butler has 79 points in his last three games. . Chicago lost at Milwaukee for just the fifth time in the last 15 games.
Bucks: There was a moment of silence for the death of longtime TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager, and Milwaukee players wore Sager Strong T-shirts during pregame warmups that resembled the outfit he wore at the recent ESPYs. Even mascot Bango donned a funky blue sport coat and plaid pants in Sager's honor. . Michael Beasley missed his first game of the season with a left foot sprain.
UP NEXT
Bulls: Begin a three-game homestand Friday night against Milwaukee.
Bucks: Play at Chicago on Friday.
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