Bucks Zone

“We gotta continue to get better!” - Mike Budenholzer warns there is still work to be done after a disappointing loss to the Chicago Bulls

The Bucks head coach was not happy after the Bucks recent loss.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks were stunned on their homecourt by an underachieving Chicago Bulls team last night, as they lost 113-118 to their division rival. 

The Bucks were heavy favorites, as they had dominated this matchup in recent years. But still, the Bulls came into town confident, rolling after a big win versus the Celtics. Milwaukee gave away a couple of wide-open three-pointers in the end, and this cost them dearly. They were also very careless with the ball, which allowed the Bulls to come back from a 12-point deficit in the first half.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said that there were a few positive signs, but they still have a lot of work to do.

Coach Bud is not happy

The Bucks let the Bulls take 42 three-point attempts, which was higher than their season average. They allowed 23 shots in the first half itself, and the Bulls converted 12 of them. This allowed the Bulls to stay in the hunt despite being underdogs. The hot shooting would continue in the second half, as they ended up hitting 18 out of 42 three-point shots (42%).

Budenholzer said that this number of open looks is unacceptable, expressing how they would need to work on this in the film room. In the end, the head coach concluded the effort was there, but it was simply not enough.

"I would just say Giannis is competing, Jrue is competing, DeRozan's got 36, DeRozan is a killer. I think the competitive fire might have burned us a little bit there. When players are competing, when guys are making plays with effort, it's hard to be too critical of them... We got to continue to work, and we gotta continue to get better." Budenholzer concluded.


The Bucks falter in the clutch

The Bucks were in the lead with less than 2 minutes on the clock despite the turnovers and a high number of three-pointers made by the Bulls. The daggers started to fall when Coby White hit a clutch corner three to tie the game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo then got the ball, but he turned it over as Alex Caruso drew a charge on him. Then the Bulls got the possession back, and DeRozan had the ball in his hands. The Bucks did not want DeRozan to take the last shot so they doubled him. But White was wide open in the corner, and DeRozan got the ball to him. White knocked it down again to give the Bucks a 3-point lead. 

Even after this, the Bucks had a chance to tie the game, but they turned the ball over again. Then Nikola Vucevic knocked down another three to seal the deal and hand the Bucks their fifth loss on the season.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.