Middleton and Lopez lead the way as Bucks pound Bulls 112-91 without Giannis, Lillard
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) blocks Milwaukee Bucks forward Taurean Prince (12) layup during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Melissa Tamez]
CHICAGO (AP) — Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez each scored 21 points, Bobby Portis added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 112-91 on Monday without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Middleton set a season high for the second game in a row after scoring 18 in Saturday’s win over Washington. The three-time All-Star missed the first 21 games following surgery on both ankles.
Middleton and Lopez each made three of Milwaukee’s 18 3-pointers. Gary Trent Jr. nailed four from beyond the arc and finished with 14 points.
Antetokounmpo missed his second consecutive game because of back spasms and his fourth overall this season. Lillard missed his third game in a row — this time because of a non-COVID illness. The eight-time All-Star sat out the previous two with a strained right calf.
Nikola Vucevic had 17 points and 12 rebounds for Chicago. The Bulls made just 10 of 48 3-pointers in losing their second in a row.
Bucks: The Bucks continued to look more like the team they expected than the one that struggled at the start of the season.
Bulls: The Bulls were a bit thin in the backcourt, with Lonzo Ball out with an illness and Josh Giddey missing his third straight game because of a sprained right ankle.
Milwaukee led by 23 in the second quarter and withstood a push by Chicago in the third. The Bulls cut it to 76-68 when Dalen Terry stole a pass and broke for a layup to cap a 10-0 run. But the Bucks answered with 11 straight points, including back-to-back 3s by Trent and a floater by Delon Wright that bumped the lead to 87-68 with just over two minutes remaining in the third.
The Bucks made 11 of 24 3-pointers in the first half, while the Bulls were 6 for 28.
The Bucks host Brooklyn on Thursday, while the Bulls visit Atlanta that night.
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