Antetokounmpo shoulders load, Lillard misfires as Bucks sink Bulls

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and Bobby Portis added 19 off the bench to help the Milwaukee Bucks snap their two-game skid with a 118-109 win against the visiting Chicago Bulls on Monday night (Tuesday, November 14, Manila time).

Antetokounmpo and Portis each had a double-double with 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively. Khris Middleton added 13 points while Damian Lillard scored 12 despite shooting 3-for-17 from the field. Lillard also had five assists.

Nikola Vucevic led the way for Chicago with a double-double of his own, totaling 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Zach LaVine added 20 points while DeMar DeRozan was limited to just 11 on 3-of-14 shooting.

It was a game of runs early on, with the Bucks ultimately taking a sizable lead with an 11-0 burst in the first quarter to make it 20-8. Antetokounmpo hit a fadeaway 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded at the end of the period to give Milwaukee a 35-18 advantage. It was his 500th career trey.

Chicago would close the gap in the second, bringing its deficit down to four on two occasions, the last of which came after DeRozan banked in a jumper with 3:32 left. The Bulls ultimately went into halftime trailing 59-49.

Antetokounmpo scored 19 points before the break, while no Chicago player had more than eight.

From there, the teams traded blows, with the Bulls outscoring Milwaukee 25-24 in the third quarter and each team pouring in 35 points in the fourth. Chicago did take the lead for a short period in the third thanks to a 12-3 run, but Milwaukee was able to answer and pull away.

Middleton made Bucks franchise history on Monday, becoming the fifth-leading scorer by passing Michael Redd, who had 11,554 points. Middleton now has 11,559 and is within striking distance of Sidney Moncrief, who ranks fourth in team history with 11,594. – Rappler.com