The (13-5) Milwaukee Bucks take on the (5-14) Chicago Bulls Thursday Night in Chicago down on State Street at the United Center. This game against the Bulls is coming after an exciting win against Miami where the Bucks clinched a spot to try to win the NBA Cup.
Before Milwaukee plays the Knicks in Round One on Tuesday Dec. 5th, they have to face off against Chicago tonight and Atlanta on Saturday Night at home.
The Bulls might be the most “broken team” right now in the NBA.
Milwaukee is a team that still seems like they are figuring it out.
Much of the talk centered around the Bulls right now is whether or not they should “blow up” the team and trade LaVine or DeRozan. Earlier in the year we pondered what a trade for DeMar DeRozan might look like for Milwaukee.
Related: Could the Bucks Acquire DeRozan?
Milwaukee Bucks keys to Victory
Move and Pass the Ball
The Bucks are always going to be a team that can take the ball down and score with just one guy (see Lillard or Giannis). But right now, the team needs to swing the ball around more.
Right now the team averages around 24 assists per game. That is 26th in the NBA.
Last season the team averaged 26 assists per game. I get it, “Rudy, this isn’t last year!” The only comeback there however, is that this team still needs to move the ball around more. They also needed to do that last year as well.
Keep Scoring
In the NBA regular season a good offense can be a good defense. While many around the team keep highlighting that the squad has a “weaker” defense, the offense has been pretty darn good.
When the Bucks score over 118, they usually win. On the season the Bucks are scoring just under 118 points a game- 116.9. Over the past five games that number has continued to go up and up. Scoring 131 against Miami and Washington will do that for you.
Getting 60 points from their big two (Giannis and Dame) and then a combination of 58 from Khris, Brook, Bobby, Malik, and MarJon usually does it.
The Bucks should be able to aim for that 118 point number against Chicago Thursday as well.
The Opponent- The Bulls
The party is over for Chicago. After the first game of the season the team had a rumored “players only” meeting. After the FIRST GAME!
Podcaster and NBA aficionado Bill Simmons declared the team as, “the NBA’s top bummer team… They don’t even look like the are enjoying playing.”
Right now Zach Lavine and Demar DeRozan seem to trade off leading scorer responsibilities. Lavine is averaging 22.4 a game; DeRozan is averaging 21.3 a game.
Nikola Vucevic is leading the team in rebounds (10.4). He is having a good start to his season so far.
Chicago added Jevon Carter to hopefully cover for the loss of Lonzo Ball. He hardly ever plays.
They also added Derrick Favors, rookie Justin Lewis (Marquette) and journeyman Tory Craig. That might not be enough to get them back into serious contention.
Things to tell your buddies while you are watching the game
The Bucks are only 5-4 on the road so far this season. Last season they had the best road record of any NBA team in the regular season. They were 26-15 last year on the road.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has the most assists in Bucks Franchise history with 3,413.
The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets are tied for the best NBA Home Record so far in the 2023-2024 season. Both teams are still undefeated at home at 8-0.
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