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MILWAUKEE – Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and the Milwaukee Bucks used fiery 3-pointers to shoot the shortstop Chicago Bulls 126-96 on Friday.
Milwaukee shot 22 of 45 from 3-point range, and Antetokounmpo was two assists away from a second straight triple-double. The two-time MVP had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists on Wednesday in a 119-108 loss at Miami.
The Bucks have beaten the Bulls 11 times in a row, the second longest winning streak of any team in this series’ history. The Bulls won 12 in a row over the Bucks from December 1995 to March 1998.
Chicago played its second straight game without forwards Lauri Markkanen and Chandler Hutchison, as well as guards Ryan Arcidiacono and Tomas Satoransky as part of the NBA’s health and safety protocols related to COVID-19. Markkanen is the Bulls’ second leading scorer (17.3) and top rebounder (6.8).
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said before Friday’s game that Hutchison had tested positive and was still in Washington, where the Bulls played their last two games. Markkanen, Arcidiacono, and Satoransky were back in Chicago.
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After the Bulls took a 5-0 lead, the Bucks definitely took the lead by scoring 12 straight points on four 3s, two from Donte DiVincenzo and one from Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. Milwaukee opened the game by closing the first half with a 15-2 run and then scoring the first four points of the third quarter to take a 66-40 lead.
The Bucks shot just 7 of 38 on 3-point attempts in a 130-110 loss at New York on Sunday, but have gone 67 of 137 in three games since then.
Milwaukee had hit an NBA-record 29 3-pointers on 51 attempts in a 144-97 win by the Miami Heat on Tuesday. The Bucks followed that up by going 16-for-41 in a loss at Miami the following night.
Bryn Forbes scored 18 points and Middleton had 14 for the Bucks. Bobby Portis had 13 points and 12 rebounds. DiVincenzo, Pat Connaughton and Jrue Holiday added 11 points each.
Zach LaVine scored 16 points and Denzel Valentine had 14 for the Bulls. Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White added 12 each.
TIPS
Bulls: Valentine went to the locker room midway through the fourth quarter after Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s right elbow struck the left side of Valentine’s face as they battled for a rebound. … This trip to Milwaukee concluded with a three-game road swing for the Bucks, who had won back-to-back games at Washington on Tuesday and Thursday. They briefly return home to face Dallas on Sunday before playing four straight road games.
Bucks: The Bucks played a third straight game without backup forward Torrey Craig, who underwent surgery Thursday after breaking his nose Sunday in a loss to the New York Knicks. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said he doesn’t expect Craig to be available during this five-game home position. “I don’t know if we’ve really established a timeline,” Budenholzer said. “I think we are seeing how it comes out of the procedure that they have done. But I suppose it is longer than that.”
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Bulls: Host Dallas Sunday night.
Bucks: host Detroit Monday night.
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