Bucks Zone

The Milwaukee Bucks beat their division rival Chicago Bulls for the first time this season

The Milwaukee Bucks padded their winning streak to 12 despite losing Giannis Antetokounmpo to injury.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
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Not even the early exit of Giannis Antetokounmpo could stop the Milwaukee Bucks from picking up another win, as they easily handled the Chicago Bulls, 112-100, on Thursday night.

Extended win streak

Pouncing on the severely depleted lineup of the Bulls, the Bucks tallied their 12th straight win, and all of a sudden, the possibility of matching the franchise’s longest winning streak is gaining traction.

The Bucks, then powered by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, recorded their longest winning streak in franchise history when they racked up 20 straight wins in the 1970-71 season.

Giannis goes down

The Bucks dominated the contest despite playing without Antetokounmpo in the entire second half after the Greek Freak injured his left wrist early in the second quarter.

With the Bucks ahead, 34-27, Antetokounmpo tried to block Coby White's layup attempt before landing on the floor hard. The two-time MVP grimaced in pain while clutching his left wrist. He was then subbed out and was brought to the locker room.

Antetokounmpo saw action for just nine minutes and finished with two points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Before Antetokounmpo’s exit, the Bucks were already without Khris Middleton (sore right knee), Bobby Portis Jr., and new recruit Jae Crowder.

Stepping up

But those absences hardly mattered as Brook Lopez and Jevon Carter came up with superb games to help the Bucks beat the Bulls for the first time this season. Chicago won the first two games of the two squads’ four-game regular-season series.

Lopez finished with 33 points, while Carter added 22. Jrue Holiday and AJ Green each contributed 15 points, and Grayson Allen chipped in 10. The win hiked Milwaukee’s record to 41-17, pushing them within a half-game behind the Eastern Conference leaders Boston Celtics (42-17).

Without DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, Goran Dragic, and Lonzo Ball, the Bulls suffered a sixth straight loss to drop to 26-33. Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 22 points. 

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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.