The Milwaukee Bucks kicked off 2021 with a 126-96 victory over the Chicago Bulls, and let us discuss some takeaways from their bounce-back win.
Having ended 2020 with a disappointing loss to the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks wanted to start 2021 off on the right foot.
Welcoming the Chicago Bulls to Fiserv Forum in the first of a five-game homestand, the Bucks took control of things relatively quickly. It was an eventful 48 minutes of play, but as the final buzzer sounded, Milwaukee had sealed the 126-96 victory over Chicago, extending their win streak over the franchise to 11 straight games.
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The Bucks are all knotted up at 3-3 six games into this season, but before we look ahead, let us look at some takeaways from Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls.
Takeaway No. 3 – Bucks’ defense looked fantastic
The Bucks have established a reputation as one of the league’s best defensive teams in recent memory, and it was on full display against the Chicago Bulls.
For starters, they racked up 16 steals on the night and forced the Bulls to commit 20 turnovers. Nine of those turnovers came from Chicago’s backcourt duo of Zach LaVine and Coby White, who both endured rough outings at the hands of Donte DiVincenzo and Jrue Holiday. LaVine scored just 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while White managed to muster up 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting, both well below their season averages thanks to the efforts of Milwaukee’s backcourt.
The Bucks also did a stellar job of taking away good looks from 3-point range for the Bulls, one of their more prominent flaws. Although it can also be attributed to an overall lackluster shooting night, the Bulls shot just 6-of-26 from behind the arc, a measly 23.1 percent. While the Bulls struggled to hit shots from distance, the Bucks had no such issue.