White comes up in clutch to help lift Bulls over Bucks
The Chicago Bulls opened their six-game trip Wednesday with a 118-113 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum, fueled by DeMar DeRozan’s 36 points and two huge 3-pointers down the stretch from Coby White.
With back-to-back wins over the Boston Celtics and Bucks, the Bulls (8-10) showed they have the talent to compete with the best teams in the league despite their lackluster start to the season. But the toughest stretch of the season is on tap, and they have to continue to play aggressively to avoid a letdown.
Here are five takeaways from Wednesday’s win.
1.Aclutchwinatlast
The Bulls were 0-7 in “clutch” games, defined as those with a five-point margin and five minutes or fewer remaining. With a 10-point lead and 10 minutes remaining, the Bulls were in control until Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo began to assert himself in the paint, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter to give the Bucks a late lead.
But a White 3-pointer tied the game with 1 minute, 15 seconds left, and after Alex Caruso coaxed Antetokounmpo into a charge, White nailed another 3 to put the Bulls back in front. Defensive consistency was key to holding off the Bucks.
Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan dunks against the Bucks on Wednesday in Milwaukee. DeRozan scored a game-high 36 points in the Bulls’ 118-113 win.
“We’ve been pulling together defensive stops for longer stretches in games, and it shows,” DeRozan told NBC Sports Chicago on the postgame show. “We’ve got to do that, especially competing against the good teams in this league.”
The win over the Bucks was also important for the team’s confidence. They had lost 17 of their last 19 against Milwaukee since