Bulls squander 22-point lead and then some in loss at Milwaukee
Jabari Parker got his return to Milwaukee out of the way during preseason, and that game didn't go well.
So for his second stop at the new Fiserv Forum, Parker seemed determined to put on a better show for his former teammates. Parker scored 15 points in the first quarter, helping the Bulls build a 22-point lead late in the first half.
But the Bucks hit the gas following intermission and sped past the Bulls in the second half, winning 123-104 on Friday. Milwaukee has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 11-4, and lost its first home game of the season earlier this week against Memphis.
This has been typical of the Bulls this season, good starts disappearing quickly. Once an opposing team gets rolling, the game seems to move too fast for the short-handed Bulls. They make poor decision, force shots, turn the ball over and that usually results in fast breaks going the other way. The game speeds up and things only get worse.
Milwaukee tied the score at 74-74 with 4:15 left in the third quarter. The Bulls had a little bit of hope, trailing 88-80 in the waning seconds of the third after a pair of free throws by Chandler Hutchison. But then Eric Bledsoe hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and Malcolm Brogdon opened the fourth with another 3 and the Bulls quickly trailed 94-80.
Under first-year coach Mike Budenholzer, Milwaukee leads the NBA in 3-pointers made per game. The Bucks kept it rolling in the fourth as Giannis Antetokounmpo and ex-Bull Tony Snell added 3-pointers to boost the lead.
Milwaukee outscored the Bulls 46-17 in the third quarter and 78-41 in the second half. The 22-point comeback was tied for the second-largest in the NBA this season.
Parker led the Bulls with 21 points and Justin Holiday had 20, but those players combined for just 6 points in the second half. Antonio Blakeney added 18 off the bench, while Zach LaVine had his second-straight sub-20 point game with 15.
Parker was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2014 draft. His four years in Milwaukee were beset by two ACL surgeries on his left knee. After signing with the Bulls as a free agent, Parker made it clear that he enjoyed his Bucks teammates and was hurt when Milwaukee decided not to bring him back.
Despite the ultimate outcome, the first half was impressive by the Bulls. They hit 11 of 17 shots from 3-point land, including a perfect 6-for-6 by Holiday.
The lead peaked at 63-41 late in the second quarter after Holiday hit back-to-back 3s in rapid succession. The Bulls were also locked in defensively, doing a nice job of contesting shots and limiting open 3-point looks.
They cooled off right away at the start of the third quarter, though, with Holiday ending his streak with a missed 3-point attempt. As has been the case most of the season, the Bulls were without Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine with injuries. The Bucks played without John Henson and rookie Donte DiVincenzo on Friday. Bledsoe led the Bucks with 25 points, while Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton added 23.
Before the game, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg mentioned LaVine was feeling under the weather, but he did participate in shootaround. LaVine hit 6 of 20 shots in Friday's game.
"We'll see how he is when he comes in, but he was a little bit sick this morning," Hoiberg told reporters. "We have a couple of guys batting some things; we'll see; he'll probably have a very light workout before the game to try to conserve some energy."
The Bulls are back home Saturday against Toronto, which lost an overtime game at Boston on Friday.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Scouting report
Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m. at the United Center
TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: In their quest to capture the top seed in the East for a second straight year, the Raptors got off to a great start at 12-1, then lost two in a row heading into Friday's game at Boston. ... SF Kawhi Leonard hasn't played in any back-to-backs yet this season, so his status for this one is unclear. But he's back to his usual standards, averaging 24.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. ... C Serge Ibaka is averaging 17.4 points, missing Wednesday's loss to Detroit with a knee issue. ... PG Kyle Lowry is at 16.1 points and an NBA-best 10.7 assists. ... Fast-moving PF Pascal Siakam has become a major part of Toronto's rotation, averaging 14.1 points. ... The Bulls have dropped their last five against the Raptors.
Next: Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m. Wednesday at the United Center
- Mike McGraw