The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Chicago Bulls handily 122-106 on Wednesday night, winning their fourth game in their last five contests. After starting the season with a dismal 2-8 record that included a six-game losing streak, the Bucks are now 6-9 and suddenly in the thick of a less-than-impressive Eastern Conference.
A major reason for the Bucks’ recent winning ways has been the dominant play of two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Going into the night, the Greek Freak was the NBA’s leading scorer, averaging 31.4 points per game, and that statistic only went up with his performance against the Bulls.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Passed Chicago Bulls Legend Scottie Pippen on the All-Time Scoring List
Giannis led the Bucks with 41 points (25 in the third quarter alone), nine rebounds, eight assists, and a steal. He was 17/24 from the floor and 7/14 from the free throw line.
In the course of yet another scoring outburst, and almost fittingly, Giannis passed Bulls legend Scottie Pippen for 65th on the NBA’s All-Time scoring list. The Greek Freak now has 18,951 career points; Pippen scored 18,940 points in 17 seasons spent with Chicago, the Houston Rockets, and Portland Trailblazers.
Next up on the NBA all-time scoring list for Giannis to pass is former Bucks shooting guard Dale Ellis, who scored 19,004 points in a 17-year career. Ellis first arrived in Milwaukee via trade during the 1990-91 season and spent a year-and-a-half with the team. In 1999, he spent part of his final NBA season back in Milwaukee before being traded to and ending his career with the Bulls.
Other Milwaukee Bucks Stars of Note vs the Chicago Bulls
In addition to Giannis’ now expected dominance, other Bucks players stepped up in big ways to make the win possible. Starting center Brook Lopez, for instance, had his third 20+ point performance in his last four games. The 36-year-old center had 21 points on 9/12 shooting (2/5 from three) while going 1/2 from the free throw line.
He also had five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block.
Damian Lillard was only 2/10 from three but had his second consecutive double-double with 18 points and 10 assists.
AJ Green, who is quickly becoming a fan favorite, had 18 points off the bench while shooing 6/9 from the field (5/7 from three) and 1/2 from the free throw line. But while Green is expected to be a lethal shooter, it was his defense that kept the Bulls at bay.
When Zach LaVine started to get hot and had totaled 25 points for the game in the third quarter, head coach Doc Rivers put Green on him. LaVine scored just two points for the rest of the game.
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