The Milwaukee Bucks started their three-game homestand with a blowout win over the Chicago Bulls. It stops the bleeding a little bit, after the Bucks had lost five in a row. Kyle Kuzma tied a season high with 31 points on 12/22 shooting, while Ryan Rollins finished with a 21-point, 10-assist double-double. Second-year forward Matas Buzelis led the Bulls offense with 22 points on 5/10 shooting from three-point range.
Game Recap
With nine rotational players out tonight on both sides (for various
reasons), they each needed someone to step up. After Kuzma got the Bucks started with the first four points, AJ Green found his rhythm from distance. Green’s back-to-back threes helped extend Milwaukee’s lead to nine points after Kuzma laid it in, forcing a timeout from Chicago. That didn’t slow down the Bucks, finishing the quarter on a 10-4 run. That gave the Bucks their largest advantage, 39-24, heading into the second quarter.
Already up by double-digits, Milwaukee continued to pour it on a short-handed Chicago squad. They hit their first two shots from beyond the arc, making it eight consecutive makes from three-point range going back to Ryan Rollins’ three in the first. For once, the Bucks were the team ahead by 20+ points, after Myles Turner hit a couple of free throws. Turner and Rollins took turns scoring on the Bulls, with the pair going for 10 straight points. Green punctuated an explosive first half for Milwaukee’s offense, putting up 77 points while Chicago limped into the locker room with 52.
The Bulls got out to a fast start in the second half, going on a 10-2 run. After a timeout from Doc Rivers, the Bucks settled in thanks to Kuzma, scoring two straight buckets for Milwaukee. Yet, the Bucks we’ve come to expect this season reared their ugly heads once again. Chicago went on a 15-4 run, cutting Milwaukee’s lead from 19 to just eight. The Bucks were able to close out the frame on a 9-3 run, thanks in part to the two-man game of Cole Anthony and Pete Nance. The run gave Milwaukee a 16-point lead going into the fourth, 105-89.
The Bucks continued to cash in from three-point range. Three of their first four makes in the stanza were from beyond the arc, including two from Kuzma. The early barrage put them back up by 22, forcing Billy Donovan to call a timeout. From there, the Bucks were able to put the game into Kuz-control, as they ended their five-game losing streak.
Stat That Stood Out
The Bucks’ three-point shooting was exceptional tonight. After a rough outing from distance against the Celtics on Sunday, they shot it efficiently against the Bulls. On the night, Milwaukee went 20/38 (60.5%), with Trent tying a season high in three-point makes with five.
