On Tuesday night the United Center and Chicago Bulls hosted the Milwaukee Bucks in a preseason opening tilt. Fans were intrigued to see how Fred Hoiberg would start gearing up for his first year as a coach in the NBA. The starting lineup for the Bulls would be Joakim NoahE'Twuan MooreJimmy ButlerTony Snell, and sharpshooter Nikola Mirotic

With a 105-95 victory to open up the pre-season, the Bulls impressed. Jimmy Butler and Doug McDermott both led with a game-high 23 points. Rookie stand out Bobby Portis manned the boards, leading the way with 14 rebounds. Butler would also show off his ball movement skills as he led the Bulls with six assists. Coming off a Euro championship for Spain, Pau Gasol was missing in action as he looked on from the bench in order to get well-needed rest. Derrick RoseKirk Hinrich, and Taj Gibson also were out. Almost all of the Bulls lineup was involved and got good quality action.

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd was looking to get his squad off to the right track. His starting lineup consisted of Greg MonroeKhris MiddletonMichael Carter-WilliamsGiannis Antetokumpo, and Rashad Vaughn. The Bucks led for most of early proceeding but were unable to hold on as the Bulls depth outmatched Milwaukee's bench. 

Bucks hold on to lead in the first half

Kidd's squad would come out energized as they looked to get off to a good start. At 7:46, Vaughan would hit a jump shot to give the Bucks an early 8-5 lead. The Bulls' Jimmy Butler would begin his shooting groove on the night as he would hit a three off a dish from Moore to get the score to 8-10. The Bucks' Damien Inglis would hit a sweet bank shot to go up 20-12 with 2:21 to play in the first quarter of action. The Bulls would make a late push in the first as the versatile Aaron Brooks would find rookie Bobby Portis for a jump shot with two seconds remaining to come within four, 20-16.

The visitors would then fire back to start off the second quarter, as Monroe would make a layup to go up 24-16. Both teams would play high energy and focused basketball as action would continue. Chicago's Snell would outwork in the paint as he would snatch an offensive rebound and proceed with a layup to get the game closer, 26-19. The Bucks work ethic would also be shown as Middleton would take Mirotic by surprise, swooping in for a steal and following it up with an emphatic dunk. Butler's well-rounded game would be shown as he helped the Bulls inch closer in the scoreline, making a tough fade away and an assist to Mirotic for three. The Bulls would find themselves only down by one, 34-33 with 2:53 to play in the half.

Milwaukee's Antetokumpo would help his team stay on top to close out the half 40-37 as he would convert on a powerful driving dunk with four seconds remaining. Both squads went to halftime with positives to build off of.

Bulls pull away to get the win

The second half would be a great showing for last year's Eastern Conference semifinalists. At 9:50 in the third, Mirotic would sink two free throws from the stripe to get the game leveled at 44. Soon after, Moore would draw a foul and hit two free throws to give the home favorites their first lead since early in the game, 46-44. The lead would quickly shift back as Inglis would make a driving dunk off a Gutierrez assist for a 52-49 lead. Doug McDermott would start to turn in a great performance as he would hit an aggressive three off a Mirotic assist. McDermott looked as if he was carrying his momentum from summer league play as he gave the Bulls a 63-61 lead. Portis would get some free-throw action, as he would hit both. An acrobatic Brooks layup and an impressive block from Portis would get fans pumped. A third quarter buzzer beater by McDermott would help the Bulls to a 77-67 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, inexperienced second year player Cameron Bairstow would show great feel as he would weave around the basket for a reverse layup. The Bucks would try to make a late game push as Gutierrez would make a slashing layup for 96-87. The Bulls would soon pull away entirely as the first-round draft pick showed off his athleticism with put back layup for a 100-87 lead. New Bulls addition Jordan Crawford would also add to the onslaught as he would hit a daring three-point bank shot. Hoiberg's Bulls would wrap up the victory, 105-95, playing well on all cylinders.

The Bulls will next face the Denver Nuggets in Denver on the 8th. They will look to carry their fine form throughout the preseason and into the regular season.

VAVEL Logo
About the author