© Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bulls' freefall continues as their slump reaches six games after a loss vs. Milwaukee Bucks
You know your team's no good when ESPN removes your scheduled game on national TV and places it on a regional network.
Yes, that's how awful the Chicago Bulls have been this season, and their wild freefall continued on Thursday night as they fell to the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks, 112-100, to drop to 26-33—a full seven games under .500. The loss was also the Bulls' sixth in a row, which is their worst slide since the 2020-2021 season.
No Middleton, no Giannis, no problem
The Bucks did not have All-Star wingman Khris Middleton, who was out due to knee injury management. Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo also left the game in the second quarter with an injured wrist but the team kept rolling, winning their 12th game in a row.
Giannis finished with just two points, seven rebounds, and three assists, but his absence was hardly felt, thanks to the massive production from big man Brook Lopez who shouldered most of the load with 33 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and four blocks.
Jevon Carter—starting in place of Middleton—also stepped up and had 22 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Not giving up
Despite everything that is going wrong with the Bulls, Zach LaVine defiantly declared that all is not lost for the team this season. They are now two games behind the 10th seeded Toronto Raptors.
"We're not throwing in the towel. I don't think we have the type of team or personnel to do that. Obviously, losing hurts. Everybody, they're all frustrated, but we're coming in, doing our jobs every day. We're the ones who are going to have to figure it out," said LaVine, who had 18 points on a miserable 5-of-16 shooting clip.
The lone bright spot for the Bulls on Thursday night was the play of rookie guard Dalen Terry. In 27 minutes on the floor, the 18th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft scored 13 points and added seven rebounds and six assists.
