Giannis leaves early, but Bulls reach all-star break on six-game losing skid
This was a playoff rematch, but hardly a playoff atmosphere.
The Bulls hosted the Milwaukee Bucks with two all-stars sidelined Thursday. DeMar DeRozan was in street clothes for the Bulls, while Giannis Antetokounmpo left the game with a right wrist sprain early in the second quarter after scoring just 2 points.
The result was a forgettable 112-100 loss for the Bulls, who will limp into the all-star break with a six-game losing streak. They'll need a big finish just to make the play-in tournament.
"I hope the time away allows them to get rejuvenated and refreshed," Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. "The goal is for us to be playing better basketball. We've been in all of (the six losses) we've had chances. We've got to find a way to close better than we have. I have a lot of belief in this group, who they are."
Needless to say, the Bulls' streak of 20 straight wins when playing Thursday home games televised by TNT came to an end. The streak had been dormant since 2017, since the rebuilding Bulls merited so few national TV games.
Antetokounmpo was injured in a collision with Coby White under the basket. Both players fell to the floor and stayed down for a few seconds. Antetokounmpo was holding his right wrist as he got to his feet and headed to the locker room. The Bucks were already missing Khris Middleton (sore knee) and Bobby Portis (knee sprain).
Brook Lopez and Nikola Vucevic usually play well against each other, but with a couple of high-scoring teammates missing, Lopez took it to another level. Robin's twin brother poured in 33 points, his highest since scoring 34 in the Orlando bubble.
Vucevic finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds, Zach LaVine scored 18, and Patrick Williams had 16.
A bright spot for the Bulls was the play of rookie Dalen Terry. He finished with 13 points, well above his previous season-high of 5, and did a nice job of making things happen. He was constantly keeping offensive rebounds alive, finishing with 7 boards, 6 assists and 1 steal.
The Bulls (26-33) got off to a slow start, then spent the middle part of the game threatening to get back into it. Milwaukee finally pulled out to a 20-point advantage midway through the fourth quarter. A.J. Green - the rookie from Northern Iowa, not the former Bengals wide receiver - helped give the Bucks breathing room by hitting five 3-pointers, while Proviso East grad Jevon Carter went 4-for-5 from long range and finished with 22 points.
The Bulls played the second leg of back-to-back games after squandering a 24-point lead at Indiana on Wednesday. Donovan talked about the Bulls learning how to turn off the faucet when other teams go on big runs.
"I do know in situations like that, what doesn't work is frustration, divide. That just doesn't work," he said. "We've got to solve it, everybody in that locker room, coaches and players together. When you do overcome it, I think it creates a stronger bond and a stronger connection that when you are in those situations, you believe you can overcome those."
The Bulls said DeRozan is still expected to play in Sunday's All-Star Game, despite the right quad strain that kept him sidelined the last two games. The All-Star Game can be a low-stress outing; LaVine played last year after missing games with a knee injury.
Dosunmu was added to the Rising Stars roster on Thursday afternoon, giving the Bulls two All-Star Weekend participants.
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