Bucks vs. Bulls: A Blunder in the Home Opener

Chicago goes off for 21 threes in hot-shooting win

Well, that didn’t go as expected. In their 2024-25 home opener, the Milwaukee Bucks laid a dud against the Chicago Bulls, stumbling 133-122.

Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ Bucks In Six Minutes podcast below.

What Did We Learn?

Despite shoring up their perimeter defense in the offseason, we learned that hot shooting nights can still unfold from opposing teams. That’s exactly what happened with the Bulls. Through all four quarters of the game, consistency was found beyond the arc from them. They’d finish 21-of-47 from deep, good for a percentage of 44.7%. In his postgame comments, Doc attributed the struggles to being beat off the dribble due to the Bulls being quicker, stronger, and tougher. It did seem as if the Bucks were standing with their shoes locked in concrete at times. Look for intensity on the defensive end to be an emphasis Sunday in Brooklyn.

Three Observations

Delon Wright and Taurean Prince continue to fit in nicely.

For the second consecutive game, two of the Bucks’ new additions continued to find a groove. Taurean Prince was able to etch out double figures again, finishing with 11 of his own on the night. In addition to him, Delon Wright’s presence was felt as well. In his postgame presser, Doc Rivers labeled them both as warriors. Additionally, he mentioned how they were frustrated at how the game was unfolding, which exemplifies the competitive nature in them. Also, look at the replay of the Giannis dunk. Wright dished it to Giannis and immediately vacated the lane. Nikola Vucevic did not. Going back to Prince for a second, in his postgame availability, Giannis talked about how Prince told him he was disappointed after tonight. Antetokounmpo said that showed just how competitive he is, backing up Doc’s comments.

Coby White couldn’t miss.

He was absolutely lethal against the Bucks. It seemed that every time I looked up from my laptop screen, he was hitting another three. When the dust finally settled, he connected on 7-of-13 attempts from downtown, erupting for 35 points. A friend of mine that’s a Bulls fan texted me saying that tonight, White passed Ben Gordon on the all-time Bulls 3PM list. As I mentioned in my Rapid Recap, it seemed as if he was Gordon in that series against the Celtics in 2009 tonight. Whenever the Bucks created a run of their own, the door was slammed in their face by White. He also had his fingerprints on the game elsewhere, six rebounds and five assists as well. Just a great game from him all around.

Gary Trent Jr. continued to step up.

It wasn’t the best defensive outing for Trent, but in the moments where the Bucks were in need of a shot as the Bulls were making a run, he connected. There weren’t as many moments as Milwaukee would’ve liked for him, but the two threes he hit carried momentum. On the defensive end, the comments Doc made regarding the Bulls being quicker and more agile can be applied to Trent moving forward. It’s not to say that he in particular was bad last night, but just that the qualities he has on defense can apply in that manner. As the Bucks progress into the year, Trent is only going to get more opportunities to provide swings in the game and my guess is that he’ll take advantage more likely than not.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• A new year brings a new Jackpot Shot thread:

• That Giannis dunk was a thing of beauty:

• Damian Lillard put forth 28 points in this one. He’s now scored 25+ points in each of his first two games this season. This is the fourth time in his carer that he’s scored 25+ points in the opening two games and the first time since his first two games of the 2019-20 season (also done in the 2016-17 and 2018-19 campaigns).
• Giannis scored a game-high 38 points, hauled in 11 rebounds, and facilitated five assists in this one, marking his 129th career game with 30+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists. He now has the most such games of any active player and third-most in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain (149), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (157) and Oscar Robertson (157).
• Bobby Portis Jr. reeled in a game-high 12 rebounds in last night’s game. He reached double figures in rebounding in 18 games last year.
• Chicago was able to take advantage of Milwaukee’s turnovers. The Bucks coughed it up 15 times last night, resulting in 24 points.
• Additionally, the turnovers revealed a porous Milwaukee transition defense. That was also something we saw last postseason. Last night, it came into effect again and led to back-breaking shots that took the air out of the Bucks for some deflating shots. It’ll definitely be something they want to shore up in the coming games.
• Last, here’s Giannis’ Halloween costume:

Up Next

The Bucks are now off until Sunday at 5 p.m. CDT where they’ll head to Brooklyn and face the Nets. You can find the game on FanDuel Sports TV Wisconsin.

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