Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 20th 2024
Preview and Prediction
Following a rough start to the season with only two wins in their first ten games, the Milwaukee Bucks are gradually finding their way back to success.
The Bucks have won three of their last four games and are now preparing to face the Chicago Bulls at home on Wednesday. The Bulls, who ended a two-game losing streak with a 122-112 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday, will be looking to continue their momentum.
In their most recent game, the Bucks came out on top with a close 101-100 win against the Houston Rockets. The game was decided by a last-second shot from Damian Lillard, who returned to the court after missing three games due to concussion protocol.
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Leading the way for the Bucks was Brook Lopez with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks. Giannis Antetokounmpo also had a strong performance with 20 points and 13 assists. Antetokounmpo praised his team's effort on defense, stating that everyone is competing and taking pride in their individual roles.
On the other side, Lillard's return was not enough to secure a win for the Rockets, who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end. The Bucks' defense held Houston to just 40 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. believes that the team is starting to come together on the defensive end and is buying into their new strategy of switching more on defense. This change has resulted in less fighting through screens and fewer extra tasks for the players.
Milwaukee will be seeking revenge against the Bulls after losing to them 133-122 on October 25th.
The Bulls bounced back from two consecutive losses where they allowed a total of 287 points. In their most recent game, they showed resilience and toughness on defense, limiting the Pistons to just 34.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Chicago coach Billy Donovan was pleased with his team's effort, stating that they made a stand physically and fought back after a tough loss to the Rockets the night before.
Nikola Vucevic led the way for the Bulls with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Zach LaVine added 25 points. Vucevic has been impressive this season, averaging 20.7 points on 59.4 percent shooting from the field, 48.4 percent from three, and 84.8 percent from the free-throw line.
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After the game, Vucevic expressed his desire to continue playing at a high level and be a leader for his team on both ends of the court.
Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks Recap NOV 23TH 2022
DeMar DeRozan scored 36 points and the duo of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic each poured in 18 as the Bulls beat the Bucks 118-113 on Wednesday, earning Chicago its first regular-season win in Milwaukee since 2017.
The Bulls set a season high for made 3-pointers, going 18-for-42 from beyond the arc. They hit three consecutive 3-pointers to erase a three-point deficit and take a 115-109 lead with 20.6 seconds left, with two of those treys coming from Coby White.
Seven different Bulls players sunk multiple 3-point shots in the victory.
White finished with 14 points with four 3-pointers while Javonte Green and Patrick Williams each scored 11. DeRozan led the team with eight assists and grabbed four rebounds as well.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks, finishing with 36 points on 15-for-27 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing seven assists. He scored all but eight of his points in the second half.
Milwaukee's Brook Lopez led both sides in first-half scoring with 16 points and finished with 20. Jrue Holiday put forth 14 points and 11 assists, and Grayson Allen scored 13 while George Hill tallied 10.
The Bucks gained a one-point lead going into halftime thanks to a buzzer-beating, 15-foot floater from Holiday. Chicago got 13 points apiece from DeRozan and LaVine in the half, and the Bulls were 12-for-23 on 3-point attempts before the break.
Chicago took the lead by going on a 14-4 run toward the end of the third quarter, doing all of that as Antetokounmpo was on the bench with four fouls. The Bulls ended the quarter up 90-83, having blocked six Bucks shots in the period.
Milwaukee went on a 9-0 run early on in the fourth quarter with Antetokounmpo back in, and the superstar eventually gave Milwaukee the lead back 97-95 with 7:23 to go.
It was a back-and-forth affair with 21 total lead changes and 10 ties in front of a crowd in Milwaukee that included plenty of Bulls fans who made the short trip.