The Chicago Bulls earned their first victory of the season Friday night in Milwaukee over the Bucks. The three-ball was working for the Bulls and they rode it throughout the game. In the absence of Lonzo Ball, other guards stepped up to fill his minutes like Coby White and Josh Giddey, who each had their best game of the season. White torched the Bucks for 35 and Giddey chipped in 17 with and nine assists in the victory.
The Chicago Bulls were missing Ball and the Bucks were playing without Khris Middleton, both of whom missed action because of complications from their extensive history of knee injuries. Middleton’s absence proved to be fatal for Doc Rivers’ team, as the Bucks struggled to initiate action and generate offense without Damian Lillard or Giannis Antetokounmpo taking charge. A huge third quarter from Chicago gave them the lead they would ultimately ride to victory.
White Hot For Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls caught fire from behind the three-point arc Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. As a team, the Bulls shot 45% from distance and used the threat as a catalyst for their offense throughout. One of their best sharpshooters was Coby White. White was lights out for the Chicago Bulls in this one, scoring 35 including 15 in the second quarter. White led the offense and created opportunities off the dribble for his teammates, helping the Bulls get open, quality shots.
Chicago didn’t have to rely on White exclusively to create offense. The Bulls could trust all of their players to initiate offense and make tough decisions with the ball without turning it over. This was crucial in the absence of Lonzo Ball. The Bucks could not say the same thing. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetekoumpo were the whole offense and anything that didn’t run through them failed. They gave it their best shot, with Antetekoumpo scoring a game-high 38 points and Lillard dropping 28.
Improved Defense
The team defense from the Chicago Bulls was better against the Bucks than it was against the Pelicans in the season opener. Players stuck to their assignments more and rotated quicker to stop easy offense from the Bucks. One of the best aspects of the game plan that was well-executed was the commitment to turning Antetokounmpo into a jump shooter early on. He got more aggressive as the game wore on but early on it was almost exclusively Lillard who was leading the Bucks on the offensive end and Antetokounmpo was essentially a non-factor.
The defense was resilient when the Bucks made their final push at the end of the game. AJ Green had gotten hot from behind the arc and the Chicago Bulls did a good job of closing out on him and denying him open attempts to shoot. They also did a good job of making life for Lillard difficult in the fourth quarter. Chicago ramped up its defensive intensity on the star guard and kept him in check in the game’s waning minutes. The absence of Khris Middleton helped allow the Bulls to pay more attention to the dynamic duo of Lillard and Antetekoumpo.
Supporting Cast
Coby White led the way for the Chicago Bulls in the win but he had plenty of help. Zach LaVine started the game on fire from the outside. LaVine finished with 25 and kept the Bulls offense afloat in the first quarter when they were struggling to get any rhythm. Nikola Vucevic had a productive game with his second double-double of the season. Vucevic played a big role in the offense from his position at the top of the key and made good decisions to drive to the basket, kick the ball out to the perimeter, or get a pick-and-roll sequence going with a guard up top.
Jalen Smith impressed in his second game with the Chicago Bulls. Off the bench, the big man played great defense and threw in 11 points on the offensive end including three 3-pointers. Smith’s shooting opened up the floor for other players to drive inside and create their own offense. Smith carried the bench production for the Bulls, outscoring the rest of the Chicago bench 11-10. Smith has been integral for the Bulls in their first two games of the year and he impressed in this one, notably with his defensive effort against Giannis Antetokounmpo Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis Jr.
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