Bucks Zone

The 3 key takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' dramatic overtime loss vs. the Chicago Bulls

The Bucks blew it in the clutch and lost their 4th straight game.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks (22-12) lost their 4th straight game in dramatic fashion, as they fumbled in the clutch and eventually lost in overtime 113-119 to the Chicago Bulls (15-19). Here are the three key takeaways from the game.

Faltering in the clutch

The Bucks had the win in the bag, leading by 15 early in the 4th quarter and 11 with less than 3 minutes to go. But Milwaukee simply couldn't close the deal, as they let the Bulls rally back in spectacular fashion and force overtime.

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The play of the game was DeMar DeRozan stealing the ball on the inbounds, and passing it ahead to Ayo Donsunmu who dunked it to tie the game despite Giannis Antetokounmpo being only inches away from chasing him down. 

The Bulls would ride the momentum into overtime and close out the Bucks to get a statement win and push Milwaukee to its 4th straight defeat.

Horrible shooting night

Whenever the Bucks lose it is usually about turnovers and poor shooting from deep. Although a late turnover sent the game into overtime,  it was the shooting that was fatal for Milwaukee.

The Bucks shot an abysmal 9-44 (20.5%) from deep and 41-110 from the floor (37.3%). For comparison, the Bulls also hit nine three-pointers, but it took them 22 shots which is literally twice as less attempts than the Bucks needed to make those nine three-pointers.

After the game, coach Mike Budenholzer spoke about the shooting problems and voiced his belief that his players will get hot eventually.

"We got a lot of open threes and we gotta make more of them...and I think our guys will," Budenholzer said.

Antetokounmpo's monster performance

With Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday both out, the Bucks needed Giannis Antetkounmo to step up and the Greek Freak delivered one of his best games of the season.

Giannis finished with 45 points, 20 rebounds, and seven assists. That tied a season-high in points for the Greek Freak, as he really took it upon himself to will his team to victory last night.

But the added aggression led to Antetokounmpo being less effective than usual, as he shoot 17-39 from the floor, 0-3 from deep, and 11-17 from the free-throw line. The two turnovers in the closing stages of the game left a mark on this impressive stat line, as Milwaukee fell to the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference with this loss.

What's next

The Bucks are finally returning home after a five-game road trip, as they will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

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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.