Tracking... Bulls (Game 2 of 3 • 11/14 v. Bucks)
SUBJECT: Bulls (4-8)
TRACKING… GM. 2 • 11/14 V. MIL
L, 124-115
Despite hitting 18! threes & having 6 players in double figures, Chicago (4-8) fell victim to another tough loss. Leading 66-65 at the half, Milwaukee (8-3) outscored the Bulls 32-20 in the 3rd, resulting in an 11-point advantage going into the 4th.
A nice bench effort, led by the defense & hustle of Kris Dunn & Ryan Arcidiacano, helped Chicago stay within striking distance w/ a chance to win down the stretch. To counter Mike Budenholzer’s “4 guards + Giannis at the 5” lineup, Jim Boylen deployed Lauri Markkanen, Arcidiacano, Tomas Satoransky, Zach LaVine & Coby White as a counter.
Though CHI’s speed created scoring opportunities, settling for bad looks & an inability to rebound the ball led to another close L.
As expected, Giannis had a monster night: finished w/ 38! pts, 16 boards, 4 dimes & 3 steals. It didn’t help, however, that CHI couldn’t contain Eric Bledsoe, who erupted for a season-high 31! pts & 8 dimes on 12/14 shooting.
But since Milwaukee’s supporting cast didn't really light the world on fire, the game felt like one the Bulls let slip away. For the second consecutive game, Coby White had a strong performance - 26! pts & 6 triples off the bench - broke a rookie-record for most threes in a 2 game span (13).
His heroics, however, weren’t enough as CHI fell to 4 games below .500 before a meeting w/ Brooklyn on Saturday.
QUICK NOTES
Z. LaVine: 5th game of 25 or more; shot 8/20 from the field, settled for difficult Js in crunch time
C. White: 3rd game of 25 or more; very aggressive, positive performance - played 34 minutes (most on team), took most FGs (23)
W. Carter Jr: - 14 & 6 boards in 20 minutes; fouled out w/ just under 9 minutes left in the 4th
K. Dunn: 3 steals (21 min. off bench); defensive sparkplug, did admirable job on Giannis
L. Markkanen - 2/9 from the field, shot 5/6 from the line; 11 pts in 32 min; continues to struggle w/ flow & shot selection
T. Young: 11 & 7 boards (25 min. off bench); 3/8 shooting, -17
Chandler Hutchison: START - 6 pts, 7 boards, 3 dimes in 21 minutes; DNP in 4th quarter
Closing rotation: Satoransky-White-LaVine-Arcidiacano-Markkanen; stuck w/ lineup too long instead of subbing in Hutchison or Young (WCJ unavailable)
CHI: made 18!/43 from deep
CHI: shot 41% overall
CHI: outrebounded 58-35
CHI: committed 22 turnovers