Turnovers plague Bucks in home loss to Chicago Bulls.
Too many turnovers lead to loss to Chicago
It may have been the day after Christmas, but for the Milwaukee Bucks, the season of giving continued Tuesday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
And not in a good way.
The Bucks played with a holiday hangover for most of the game, putThat ting together a shoddy effort at both ends. They accumulated a seasonhigh 17 turnovers and failed to contain the Chicago Bulls’ offensive attack as the Bulls earned a Bradley Center sweep with a 115-106 defeat of the Bucks.
Milwaukee got off to a solid start thanks to the efforts of star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo, who missed Saturday’s game in Charlotte with right knee soreness, bounced back by making all five of his shots in the first quarter to lead the Bucks to a 31-22 lead at the end of the first period with 12 points.
was undeniably the high point for the Bucks, though.
Antetokounmpo (three fouls) and Eric Bledsoe (four) got into foul trouble with plenty of time left before the half. Milwaukee’s offense began to stall right as Chicago kicked into gear.
The Bulls were aided by the extra possessions provided by 10 Bucks turnovers, many of which came on uncharacteristically careless passes. Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Bucks were the best in the NBA at holding onto the ball, committing just
13.0 turnovers per game.
For all their struggles, the Bucks only trailed by three at halftime. Anchored by Antetokounmpo, who played the whole third quarter, the Bucks pulled back into a tie heading into the fourth.
But then the wheels fell off, especially defensively.
The Bulls scored on seven straight possession early in the fourth quarter to open up their largest lead of the game at six points. With their consistent good looks and the Bucks’ inability to curtail any drives or ball movement, that deficit felt insurmountable and indeed proved to be.
The Bucks never got closer than six points over the final seven minutes on the way to their second successive loss. BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
Saying goodbye: The Bulls’ trip to Milwaukee marked their final regularseason appearance at the Bradley Center. With two trips up I-94 each year, the Bucks and Bulls have plenty of history together at the Bradley Center.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg has seen the rivalry up close as both a player and a coach and will leave the Bradley Center with at least one fond memory.
“I had my best game ever here,” Holberg said. “I’m not a horn tooter … but I had 28 points and 13 assists.”
That game came on March 3, 2001, during the sixth of Hoiberg’s 10 NBA seasons and his second with the Bulls.
It turned out to be a 126-122 Bucks victory in double overtime — thanks in part to a buzzer-beating three by Sam Cassell that forced the second overtime — but Hoiberg indeed had 28 points and 13 assists in 52 minutes — all career highs.
UP NEXT
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (17-15) vs. Minnesota (21-13).
When: 7 p.m. Thursday. Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center. About the Timberwolves: Minnesota is riding a four-game win streak heading into its back-to-back set against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday in Minneapolis before taking on the Bucks on Thursday. The Timberwolves rely heavily on their trio of Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, with Butler leading the squad with 20.7 points per game followed by 20.5 from Towns and 17.5 from Wiggins. Those three are also well-known for carrying a heavy minutes load, each ranking in the top 13 in the league at over 35.9 minutes per game apiece. Butler is tops on the Timberwolves in that regard as well, ranking third in the NBA — behind Antetokounmpo and LeBron James — with 37.2 minutes per contest.