The Milwaukee Bucks were back home at Fiserv Forum on Monday night to welcome the Chicago Bulls to town and snap a two-game losing streak. With a strong control in the first half of the game and able to overcome challenges in the third and fourth quarter, the Bucks were able to pull off a 118-109 win and improve their record to 6-4.
Milwaukee Bucks Leading Men Come Up Big
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team with 35 points and 11 rebounds. Bobby Portis came off the bench and scored 19 and pulled down 10 rebounds, while Khris Middleton became the 5th highest all-time scorer for the Milwaukee Bucks when he scored 13 points in his minutes, bringing his all-time number to 11,554, passing Michael Reed in the franchise’s scoring list.
Additionally, Damian Lillard had 12 points and Brook Lopez had 11 points for Milwaukee.
Chicago dropped to 4-7 as Nikola Vucevic scored 26 and had 12 rebounds, Zach LaVine had 20 points, and DeMar DeRozan had 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting.
Andre Jackson Jr. Steps up In Place for Jae Crowder
It was announced on Monday prior to the game that Jae Crowder would not be participating and was ruled out the next couple of months due to an adductor and abdominal injuries that would require surgery.
In his place, Andre Jackson Jr. stepped up and played a career high in minutes. Jackson was also honored with his NCAA Championship ring from the University of Connecticut prior to Monday’s game. Just like the impact he made with UConn, he was doing the same on the court for Milwaukee to help secure the victory.
Jackson was able to secure two consecutive offensive rebounds in the third quarter to help the Bucks score four points to try and gain the lead on Chicago again as the Bulls came back from a 17-point deficit to take a 68-67 late in the third.
The rookie finished his night with five points, three rebounds and one triple in 13 minutes of play, which by the looks of it, aren’t impressive numbers, but for a rookie stepping up to fill the role that Crowder had, is huge.
Damian Lillard Makes Return
After missing the last two games due to calf soreness, Damian Lillard was back on the court for Milwaukee. Coach Adrian Griffin said that Lillard had made some good progress over the last couple of days, but are going to be cautious and keep an eye on him.
In 32 minutes of play, Lillard scored 12 points, knocked down four free throws in the fourth quarter. He was 3-for-17 and just 1-for-9 behind the three-point range, and had five assists.
Up Next for the Bucks:
The Milwaukee Bucks will be traveling to Toronto once again to face the Raptors. The last time the Bucks saw them just a few weeks ago, they lost 130-111. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30PM.
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