The Chicago Bulls put together another nice game, playing to their identity with pace, thrust and defensive intensity, but it wasn’t enough. The Bulls lose to the Bucks 112-103 as their five-game win streak comes to an end.
After a scoreless first half with four turnovers, Josh Giddey was not in the group that closed the first half. No one plays to the peak of their standards every game, but as the engine of the offense, the Bulls can’t afford for him not to play well. It was nice to see Giddey find ways to get himself in the third quarter thanks to some hustle plays, including an offensive rebound and some physical drives that helped him get to the free-throw line. By the time he entered the game with 5:50 minutes in the fourth, Giddey was back in a rhythm and put in five points during the period.
In the end, Giddey had 13 points, seven rebounds and nine assists on 40 percent shooting and four turnovers.
It was the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo for Milwaukee, who went 2-6 without the former MVP in their last eight games. Antetokounmpo was a wrecking ball getting into the paint — at one point during the second quarter, he had four straight dunks — as the Bulls struggled to keep him off his spots. Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting with seven rebounds in 25 assists on Greek Night at the United Center.
This Bulls-Bucks matchup could end up being meaningful in the Eastern Conference standings. With a potential Antetokounmpo trade hanging in the balance, the Bucks will try to surge ahead of the deadline. After the game, the Bucks moved to two games behind the Hawks in the 10th spot in the East standings. The Bulls, now 15-16, are in 9th place. Will the Bucks move into the Play-In picture to try to convince Antetokounmpo not to ask out? If they do, who falls out?
Up next: The Bulls continue their homestand with a Monday night matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ahead of their Saturday night matchup, the Wolves are 20-11 with the eighth-ranked point differential in the NBA, 5.5. They’re one of four teams in the NBA to rank in the top 10 in both offense (9th, 118.3) and defense (5th, 112.8) and are 4-2 in their last two weeks, despite their Christmas evening loss in overtime to the Denver Nuggets.
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Once considered a throw-in as part of the trade that sent Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings, Tre Jones has become one of the most important players on the Bulls, and as a result, one of Billy Donovan’s favorite players on the team.
“He’s just got a unique ability to do (impact the game),” Donovan said. “I can’t really put my finger on it, why or how he got it or whatever. I do think that there’s things that players bring to the table that you want to bring out and foster that they have. And for him, it’s trying to give him the freedom to make plays. Because one is, he’s always been a low turnover guy, so he makes good decisions with the basketball. He takes the right shots. He’s an uncanny finisher in the lane when he gets there, but he just has this, I don’t know, instinct, if he can tell what’s getting ready to happen, or how he just reacts, and he’s like in the moment, and he’s present. He knows when plays are big and what he’s got to do.”
Jones is third on the team in fourth quarter minutes per game (7.5), and has earned Donovan’s trust in those moments, and Jones has paid that back. In fourth quarters, Jones is shooting 63.9 percent from the field, over ten percent better than his average field goal percentage of 52.4.
“I like him out there (to close games),” Donovan said. “Another ball handler, I think the decision making, he also is a guy that, to be honest with you, he’s a really good screener, and a lot of times he has different defenders on him that you want to put into actions, and he can kind of manipulate some of those things.”
Despite his small stature, Jones plays aggressively, with a physicality atypical of guards his size. He’s not an elite floor spacer (26.3 percent on threes), but moves well off the ball, offensive rebounds and defends well enough to be involved in three-guard units.
He may not close every night, but did again against the Bucks, and there’s no denying the impact he’s had on Donovan.
“There may be some times with some bigger teams where maybe he’s not closing the game, someone else could be,” Donovan said. “But he’s done a really good job, I think, for us closing some of these games.”
I don’t know if anyone knows this player, but this Antetokounmpo guy is solid.
The bench carried the Bulls again tonight. They have been setting the tone and getting the Bulls off to great starts consistently.
Patrick Lee Williams is the absolute worst. Truly bad. Like truly.
Giddey didn’t play great at all. I attribute some of it to his ankle but that’s not enough of an excuse to give him a total pass.
Zach Collins was once again really good for the Bulls. Aggressive AF, nice soft touch around the rim, offensive rebounds, etc. He’s making a strong case to start.
Tre Jones. Tre Jones. Tre. Freakin’. Jones. He’s awesome.
Patrick Lee Williams is the WORST. Truly THE WORST. My God, it’s offensive.
— Big Dave
