Bulls
Bulls' 38-Point Second Quarter Buries Bucks in Milwaukee
The Chicago Bulls routed the Milwaukee Bucks 125-104 in a preseason game at Fiserv Forum, turning a tight start into a blowout with a 38-point second quarter. Chicago shot 46.7% from the field and turned 30 Bucks turnovers into 43 points, while Milwaukee's biggest lead of the night was one point. Both clubs are still 0-0 in the preseason, with reserves driving much of the scoring on each side.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 4 d ago01The story of the nightThe second quarter broke it openMilwaukee led 15-14 at one point in the first quarter and trailed only 24-15 after one, still within shouting distance.
Milwaukee led 15-14 at one point in the first quarter and trailed only 24-15 after one, still within shouting distance. Chicago then outscored the Bucks 38-24 in the second to go up 62-39 at the half. The Bulls kept their foot down with a 40-39 third quarter, pushing the lead to 102-78, and closed it out 23-26 in the fourth. Milwaukee's biggest lead all night was one point; Chicago's biggest lead was 34. The Bulls led for almost the entire game after that first-quarter scrum, with only two lead changes total.
02Buzelis and the bench carried ChicagoMatas Buzelis led the Bulls with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-7 from three, in under 24 minutes.
Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-7 from three, in under 24 minutes. Leonard Miller added 18 off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting with 7 rebounds, and Norman Powell scored 16 on 8-of-10 free-throw shooting. Jalen Smith chipped in 15. For Milwaukee, Kam Jones paced everyone with 23 points off the bench on 9-of-14 shooting, Brayden Burries scored 19, and Kasparas Jakucionis added 18 on 11-of-11 from the line. Josh Giddey had a quiet scoring night for Chicago but handed out 9 assists, and Ousmane Dieng grabbed 11 rebounds for the Bucks.
03Turnovers and the three-point line decided itMilwaukee turned the ball over 30 times to Chicago's 21, and the Bulls cashed those giveaways into 43 points off…
Milwaukee turned the ball over 30 times to Chicago's 21, and the Bulls cashed those giveaways into 43 points off turnovers compared to just 23 for the Bucks. Chicago also won the three-point battle, hitting 20-of-50 to Milwaukee's 10-of-43, and got 22 fast-break points to the Bucks' 6. The two teams were even in the paint at 42 apiece, and Chicago's bench outscored Milwaukee's 59-50. The Bucks shot better from the line, 30-of-37 compared to Chicago's 21-of-30, but it wasn't nearly enough to offset the turnover and three-point gaps.
04What it means for both teamsThis was a preseason game, so neither team's record changed from 0-0.
This was a preseason game, so neither team's record changed from 0-0. For the Bulls, Buzelis and Miller both looked comfortable scoring in bunches, and the bench group outscoring Milwaukee's reserves is an encouraging early sign heading into the regular season. For the Bucks, the turnover total and the lopsided three-point shooting are the two numbers to clean up before games start counting. Dieng's 11 rebounds and Giddey's 9 assists were bright spots buried in otherwise lopsided box scores for their respective teams.
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