Chicago beat Milwaukee 132-125 at Fiserv Forum on Friday, behind Norman Powell’s 25 points. The Bulls erased a 15-point deficit to move to 1-1; the Bucks fell to 0-2.
Chicago outscored Milwaukee 44-30 in the second quarter to erase an early 32-17 hole. The Bulls shot 28 of 30 free throws (93%) to Milwaukee’s 14 of 26 (54%). Tyler Herro led all scorers with 34 points for the Bucks, but Milwaukee could not match the Bulls’ pace down the stretch.
Takeaways From Bulls’ Win Over Bucks
Chicago’s second quarter flipped the game
Milwaukee led 32-17 after the first quarter, a 15-point advantage. The Bulls answered with a 44-point second quarter, outscoring Milwaukee 44-30 in the frame to turn a 15-point deficit into a tight game by halftime. Chicago never trailed by more than eight points the rest of the way.
Chicago’s bench and role players delivered
Jalen Smith posted 14 points and 13 rebounds off the bench, and Caleb Wilson added 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting in 33 minutes. Isaac Okoro shot 4 of 7 from the field for 12 points and finished a team-best plus-11 in the box score.
Free throw disparity decided the margin
The Bulls shot 28 of 30 from the line for 93%, while the Bucks made just 14 of 26 for 54%. That gap of 14 made free throws accounted for more than the seven-point final margin. Chicago also outscored Milwaukee in the paint, 62-44, despite shooting just 27% from three-point range compared to Milwaukee’s 41%.
Player Of The Game: Norman Powell
Norman Powell scored 25 points on 7-of-20 shooting and went 9 of 9 from the free throw line in 33 minutes, adding four rebounds.
Bulls Vs. Bucks By The Numbers
Chicago won despite shooting just 27% from three-point range (12 of 45) to Milwaukee’s 41% (19 of 46), a gap the Bulls offset at the free throw line and in the paint. The Bulls forced 19 Bucks turnovers while committing just 14 of their own, and scored 17 fast-break points to Milwaukee’s 13. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led Milwaukee with 11 rebounds and added 19 points, while Josh Giddey ran the Chicago offense with nine assists. Myles Turner finished with 12 points but was a game-worst minus-13 for the Bucks.
What It Means
Chicago moved to 1-1 and sits a half-game back of Central Division leaders Indiana and Detroit, who both opened 1-0. Milwaukee fell to 0-2 and now trails the division lead by 1.5 games with a two-game losing streak to start the season. Chicago also took a 1-0 lead in the season series between the two teams.
What’s Next
Chicago (1-1) and Milwaukee (0-2) continue the season.
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