Top 3 Takeaways from Bucks' Surprising Loss to Lowly Bulls Friday Night

Chicago gave Milwaukee more than it could handle at Fiserv Forum.

Oct 25, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Delon Wright (55) battles for the ball with Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

In a total shocker, the Chicago Bulls gave the Milwaukee Bucks more than they could handle Friday night at the Fiserv Forum. In securing their 133-122 win, the lowly Bulls leaned heavily on their long range sniping and the play of star guards Coby White and Zach LaVine, while exploiting the defensive vulnerabilities of these post-Damian Lillard trade Bucks on the perimeter.

1. The Bucks' Starting Guards Can't Defend Anyone

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers sicced starting shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. on two-time All-Star Bulls small forward Zach LaVine, and All-Star starting point guard Damian Lillard on Coby White, to horrific effect. Lillard frequently sagged far off White, despite the 6-foot-5 North Carolina product being red hot from all over the court. Trent lacked the lateral quickness to stick with LaVine on blow-by drives. It got so egregious that Rivers was compelled to play minimum-salaried reserve point guard Delon Wright, a solid point-of-attack defender, crunch minutes in the fourth quarter. Wright suited up for 13:09, and actually made an impact on offense, too, scoring five points on 2-of-3 shooting, while passing for three assists. He notched a steal for good measure.

But it was no use. LaVine scored 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field (2-of-6 from beyond the arc) and 5-of-6 from the foul line, grabbed four rebounds, blocked two shots and passed for one assist. White, meanwhile, scored a game-high 35 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field (7-of-13 from deep) and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line, while also pulling down six boards, passing for five dimes, and swiping four steals. Rivers was determined to keep Taurean Prince tethered to guard Josh Giddey, who chipped in 17 points of his own, on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor (2-of-2 from long range) and 4-of-4 shooitng from the foul line, plus nine assists and six rebounds.

Trent may be a more versatile scorer than his 2023-24 predecessor in the same role, Malik Beasley, was. But he's a similarly slight and ineffective defender. Next to Lillard, who's always been a sieve on that end of the hardwood, it spells a potentially dangerous combination when the games start to really matter.

2. Milwaukee Needs to Improve Its Ball Control

The Bucks coughed up the ball to the tune of 14 turnovers (against nine for the Bulls), allowing Chicago to capitalize heavily, scoring 24 points off those Milwaukee turnovers. The worst offender was Lillard, who had five turnovers against eight assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a pretty forgivable three, while Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton had two apiece.

3. Long Range Shooting Made The Difference

Although the bigger, longer Bucks trounced Chicago in paint points (44-28), they couldn't hold a candle to Chicago's new apparent emphasis on 3-point marksmanship.

Chicago shot a superlative 21-of-47 shooting from beyond the arc (44.7 percent), a significantly better mark than Milwaukee's 13-of-40 (32.5 percent). That translates to a 21-point swing just from Chicago's eight extra long range makes. To the credit of both Doc Rivers and Billy Donovan, each Central Division head coach has clearly embraced a modern NBA offense, shooting 40 or triples per squad and getting to the line 23 or more times (the Bulls took 25 foul shots to Milwaukee's 23).

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