9 hours Ago By Scott Polacek
The Milwaukee Bucks are starting to find a rhythm, and they have their biggest superstar to thank. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee to a 122-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls in Wednesday's Eastern Conference matchup at Fiserv Forum. While the Bucks are still just 6-9 on the campaign, they have won four of their last five as they gradually put an abysmal start in the rearview mirror.
Antetokounmpo was unstoppable in the third quarter and finished with 41 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on 17-of-24 shooting from the field. Damian Lillard (20 points, 10 assists and five rebounds) and Brook Lopez (21 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals) also played well, but it was a one-man show for extended stretches. As for the Bulls, they fell to 6-10 despite 27 points, six assists and five rebounds from Zach LaVine.
He impressed, but it was Antetokounmpo who stole the show and drew much of the reaction from social media: One of these teams was supposed to be a potential championship contender, while the other has a play-in-tournament-caliber roster, yet the Bulls defeated the Bucks by double digits in the second game of the season. It was emblematic of Milwaukee's early season struggles, although things have turned around lately during a stretch that included a Lillard game-winner against the Houston Rockets and Antetokounmpo dominating overtime in a win over the Detroit Pistons. Wednesday was an opportunity to keep things rolling against an overmatched opponent, and the home team wasted little time setting the tone with a 16-0 run that carried from the first quarter into the second as it built a 12-point halftime lead.
Chicago remained within striking distance largely because of LaVine, but the Bucks' overall balance stood out in the first half. Lillard and Antetokounmpo both attacked the lane and facilitated, while Lopez dominated on the inside and the combination of AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. provided a spark off the bench with their outside shooting.
There was no balance in the third quarter. The Bulls wouldn't go away and cut the deficit to a single point, but Antetokounmpo shifted into takeover mode when it was clear the visitors were a threat. The eight-time All-Star poured in 25 points in the third quarter alone as he hunted mismatches and consistently powered his way to the rim.
He was a singular, overwhelming force, and the Bulls had no answer even as they played well enough on offense to stay in the game. There wasn't as much scoring in the fourth with Chicago focused on containing the future Hall of Famer, but he dished out critical assists on triples from Lillard and Lopez as Milwaukee finally pulled away from a pesky Bulls side. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will look to keep things rolling Friday when they host the Indiana Pacers.
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