White, Bulls to host Middleton and the Bucks

Posted April 30, 2021 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

Milwaukee Bucks (38-24, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (26-36, 11th in the Eastern Conference)

Chicago; Friday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Conference foes Chicago and Milwaukee square off on Friday.

The Bulls are 5-4 against opponents in the Central Division. Chicago ranks ninth in the Eastern Conference shooting 36.7% from downtown, led by Nikola Vucevic shooting 45.1% from 3-point range.

The Bucks are 9-0 against opponents in the Central Division. Milwaukee is the Eastern Conference leader with 48 rebounds per game led by Giannis Antetokounmpo averaging 11.2.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Bucks won 126-96 in the last meeting on Jan. 1. Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 29 points, and Zach LaVine led Chicago with 16 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lauri Markkanen is third on the Bulls averaging 2.4 made 3-pointers, and is scoring 14.3 points per game while shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc. Coby White is averaging 15.4 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 40.8% over the last 10 games for Chicago.

Khris Middleton leads the Bucks averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers while scoring 20.2 points per game and shooting 42.7% from beyond the arc. Jrue Holiday is averaging 17.6 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 49.7% over the last 10 games for Milwaukee.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 4-6, averaging 103.7 points, 43.1 rebounds, 28.7 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.7 points on 46.8% shooting.

Bucks: 6-4, averaging 122.6 points, 48.2 rebounds, 26.5 assists, 9.1 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.6 points on 45.2% shooting.

INJURIES: Bulls: Nikola Vucevic: day to day (adductor), Troy Brown Jr.: day to day (ankle), Zach LaVine: out (health and safety protocols).

Bucks: Axel Toupane: out (oblique), Giannis Antetokounmpo: day to day (ankle).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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