Milwaukee gets its first win of the preseason against Chicago

After a sluggish first half where the defence was lacklustre and the offence not much better, Milwaukee came out in the second half and overpowered the Chicago Bulls to gain their first win of the preseason. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard led the Bucks in the scoring column, combining for 44 points. Conversely, AJ Johnson showed his youth in this one after a terrific outing against the Lakers, going a dastardly 2/15 from the field.

For the Bulls, who rested a large part of their rotation, it was rookie Matas Buzelis, Adama Sanogo, and new addition Talen Horton-Tucker who starred.

Game Recap

It was a sluggish start for both teams early on. Damian Lillard got off to 4/4 start and Giannis Antetokounmpo also got involved early. Then a minor altercation followed between Antetokounmpo and Josh Giddey, with Giddey wrapping Giannis with a hard foul and Giannis pushing him off.

The Bulls then caught momentum, with Adama Sanogo converting on some good looks and rookie Matas Buzelis elevating for the and-one jam. Chicago led 34-24 after one.

The second began with a Giannis transition dunk, followed by a Connaughton three. AJ Johnson, coming off his thirteen-point performance against the LA Lakers, got involved with an and-one attack. For Chicago, Buzelis stayed involved with a floater and a three to fend off the surging Bucks. Giannis was living at the rim, shooting 10/12 from the charity stripe.

But the Bucks’s struggles to contain the Bulls’ dribble-penetration and rebounding issues caused their deficit to only shrink by one point, trailing 59-68 at the half.

Milwaukee came out of the locker room much more focused in the third, opening on a 15-0 run behind contributions from Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Prince, and Lopez. The defence was much improved, with the Bucks being able to contain the Bulls’ guards much better. Gary Trent Jr. was a benefactor of this, getting in on the act with consecutive steals.

At about the five-minute mark, the Bucks starters started to file out, and the notable portion of the game was basically over. Milwaukee led 91-83 going into the fourth.

Notably in the fourth quarter, it was fan-favourite Liam Robbins checking in as the fourth big instead of two-way Anžejs Pasečņiks—maybe a sign of things to come? The Bulls battled back as Adama Sanogo continued to pile up rebounds. MarJon Beauchamp responded with a post-birthday dunk in transition, which was followed by a Pasečņiks poster as the Bucks bench went wild. The Bulls battled back, but ultimately the Bucks pulled out their first win of the preseason.

Stat That Stood Out

The Bucks were able to gain the lead by forcing live-ball turnovers, doubling up the Bulls in points off turnovers at 14-7. On the other hand, Milwaukee must clean up its defensive rebounding, giving up a ridiculous seven offensive rebounds to Adama Sanogo in this contest.