MILWAUKEE – It was game one of group play in the NBA Cup as the Milwaukee Bucks hosted the Chicago Bulls. There was a healthy smattering of red in the stands of Fiserv Forum for an “intense” regional match that stayed tight into the fourth quarter. The Bucks did prevail, however, pulling away from Chicago in the final minutes, 126-110.
“That was an intense game tonight,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said after the contest, giving kudos to the NBA Cup format. “The reason it’s great is because you get to see early intensity. You put yourself in a playoff-type atmosphere, and it allows you, from a coaching standpoint, to really evaluate what you need to change, what you need to work on.”
Despite the pageantry and energy that comes with an NBA Cup match-up, the home team Bucks – on a green-and-gold Cup court – got off to an inauspicious start. They scored just 11 points in the first eight minutes of play, as missed shots from distance caused them to fall behind early.
“First half, I actually told our team as a group that was the worst shots we’ve taken this year in a half,” Rivers said postgame of his team’s early struggles. “I thought we were very impatient offensively.”
But a surge in scoring – jump-started by an Amir Coffey dunk and a 3-point make by Myles Turner – saw Milwaukee score 12 in the first period’s final four minutes. The Bucks took the lead for the first time early in the second at 26-25 before heading to half with a one-point, 53-52, lead.
The Bucks overcame a tough start to secure an NBA Cup win.
Milwaukee got higher percentage shots and started to hit from deeper in the third quarter. Leading the way was Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner, the latter of whom arguably had his best game as a Buck, finishing with a season-high in scoring, including key threes in the period. Also in the third, Antetokounmpo hauled in eight rebounds, logging his sixth double-double of the season in just the first four minutes of the second half. Milwaukee led by five, 85-80, heading into the fourth.
“We’re still trying to get him in his right spots. I thought today he was the most aggressive, Rivers said regarding Turner.
“We looked at his numbers. And he was rolling less, almost half less than he did with Indiana, and I think we kind of screwed him up. I told him, ‘Hey, you can pop more with this team.’ And this morning we said just do what you feel; roll, pop, we’ll figure it out. Just do you, be you.”
In the fourth, the Bulls kept it within shouting distance, but Milwaukee officially pulled away in the final four minutes with Turner delivering on an and-1 finish and free throw for his 20th point of the night. Moments later, Ryan Rollins sank a key 3, and the Bucks never looked back, completing the 16-point victory.
Kyle Kuzma elicited high praise for guarding Josh Giddey well throughout the night. The Bulls’ big guard has been an early-season MVP candidate, but he was held to just 16 points on 6-14 shooting.
“I thought Kuz was absolutely phenomenal,” Rivers said, noting it’s not often the Bucks’ wing man is tasked with guarding a point guard. “I think Darvin [Hamm] called him the Swiss Army Knife… He plays the four, he plays the three, he guards the one.”
Giannis finished with 41 points, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most 40-point games in franchise history with 56. It was his second 40-point or more game this season. He also pulled in 15 rebounds and finished with eight assists.
“Giannis changed the game,” said Rivers. “Especially when he started attacking the basket.”
Turner finished with 23 points on 8-13 shooting, 5-8 from 3. Rollins was the final Buck to finish with 20 or more; he also hauled in six rebounds and dished out four assists.
The Bucks stay at home for their next contest, inviting the Houston Rockets to Milwaukee on Sunday, November 9, with tip-off scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Central.
