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Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 30 points on 11-of-23
shooting and added 12 rebounds against the Bulls, who entered
the night as the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference.
Middleton finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists,
and Portis had 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Milwaukee led by seven with just 2:32 left to go, but the Bulls
pulled within two with just over a minute remaining. DeMar
DeRozan missed what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer with 23
seconds left, and Middleton sunk a pair of free throws to secure
the win and give the Bucks back-to-back wins for the first time
since Dec. 30 and Jan. 1.
DeRozan reached the 30-point mark for the second straight game,
finishing with 35 on 9-of-18 shooting along with six rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic collected 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Matt
Thomas provided a spark off the bench with 11 points.
The Bulls had their worst performance of the season from 3-point
range, as they made just 7 of 38 (18.4 percent).
Thanks to 16 first-half points from Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee
went into the break with a 45-44 lead. DeRozan led all scorers
with 18 points to keep Chicago close, and Vucevic added nine to
go along with six rebounds.
Neither team shot the ball efficiently from deep before
halftime, but the Bulls especially struggled, going just
2-for-17. The Bucks shot 26.3 percent from beyond the arc, but
dominated the battle in the paint, outscoring Chicago 20-10.
Grayson Allen was ejected in the third quarter after a foul on
Alex Caruso was deemed a flagrant 2. He finished with five
points and three rebounds on 2-of-5 shooting.
Offense came at a premium through the first 12 minutes, as both
teams shot under 40 percent from the field and 20 percent from
3-point range. Antetokounmpo was still able to find his groove,
scoring 10 of the Milwaukee's 24 points as the Bucks led 24-20.
--Field Level Media
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