In their 2024-2025 home opener, the Milwaukee Bucks fell 133-122 to the Chicago Bulls.

NBA.com Box Score

Damian Lillard continued the momentum he ignited against Philadelphia in the season opener. In the opening frame, he scored 13 points and went 2-of-4 from deep. Zach LaVine scored 11 of his own for the Bulls, but Milwaukee was able to take a 32-30 lead in the second quarter.

Chicago wouldn’t disappear in the second quarter. Coby White felt it from downtown, hitting several threes in the first half on his way to 17 points. Zach LaVine also matched that output, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo. At halftime, the Bucks held on to a slim 64-63 lead.

The third quarter, Bucks showed up to start the third quarter. Chicago has strung a bunch of baskets together and, in an instant, flipped the script to put itself front and center. Milwaukee’s defense was unable to stop the game, allowing the Bulls to flirt with a double-digit lead. They would even break it past that margin at one point, but the Bucks cut it to 102-95 entering the fourth. Coby White was an absolute threat, totaling 29 points in several quarters.

Milwaukee couldn’t think of anything to stop the hot-shooting Bulls from starting the fourth. Coby White continued to do his thing and so did the rest of Chicago. It turned out to be the same story the entire fourth time, as the Bucks couldn’t combine stops with points. The Bulls would hold them at bay and escape town with a 133-122 win.

Statistic that stood out

Coby White was absolutely lethal for the Bulls. Milwaukee simply didn’t have an answer for him. Every time a Bucks run was produced, White was there to stop it at the other end with a shot of his own. He was huge for Chicago in the third quarter when the Bucks couldn’t develop any kind of defense. A Bulls fan I know texted me that he passed Ben Gordon on the all-time Bulls 3:00 list tonight. With his performance tonight, he definitely looked like he was Ben Gordon in the 2009 Boston series with his 35-point showcase.

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