Bulls Beat Bucks 132-125 After Rally From 15 Points Down
Norman Powell scored 25 points and rookie Caleb Wilson added 21 as Chicago came back from a 32-17 first quarter hole to spoil Tyler Herro and the Bucks in their home opener at Fiserv Forum.
Key points
- Chicago beat Milwaukee 132-125 on Friday at Fiserv Forum, rallying from 15 points down after the first quarter to spoil the Bucks home opener.
- Milwaukee controlled the start.
- Chicago scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and took a 108-104 lead on a slam from Wilson.
Chicago beat Milwaukee 132-125 on Friday at Fiserv Forum, rallying from 15 points down after the first quarter to spoil the Bucks home opener. Norman Powell led the Bulls with 25 points. Rookie Caleb Wilson scored 21, Leonard Miller added 19, and Jalen Smith finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Milwaukee controlled the start. The Bucks led 19-6 inside the first five minutes after an early three pointer from Tyler Herro, and they closed the first quarter ahead 32-17. Chicago answered with a 44 point second quarter and kept scoring after halftime, but Milwaukee still led late in the third. A basket around the rim from Kel'el Ware and a three pointer from rookie Brayden Burries put the Bucks up by five with 2 minutes and 55 seconds left in the third quarter. Smith beat the buzzer with a dunk, and Chicago went into the fourth quarter down only 104-102.
The fourth quarter turned the game
Chicago scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and took a 108-104 lead on a slam from Wilson. A three pointer from Buddy Hield pushed the lead to eight with 7 minutes and 19 seconds left. Milwaukee had one more run in it. Herro hit back to back three pointers to put the Bucks ahead, and a putback from Myles Turner made it 123-122 with 2 minutes and 51 seconds left.
That was close to the end of Milwaukee scoring. Wilson made two free throws to put Chicago ahead 124-123 with 1 minute and 16 seconds left. Tre Jones then picked off a pass from Ryan Rollins, Wilson added two more free throws, and Powell made two more after a missed Herro three pointer to give the Bulls a five point cushion with 20 seconds left. A steal from Wilson and two free throws from Jones closed the game.
Herro debut was not enough
Herro scored 34 points in his first official game as a Buck, shooting 12 of 24 from the field and 5 of 10 from three point range. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Kuzma scored 14 and Turner scored 12. It was not enough to stop a second straight loss to open the season. Milwaukee is 0-2 and plays at Philadelphia on Saturday, October 24.
Chicago is 1-1. The win carried extra weight because it came two days after a 43 point loss to Toronto on Wednesday, when the Raptors beat the Bulls 135-92. Hield scored 13 points for Chicago on Friday, Isaac Okoro scored 12, and Jones finished with 11 points and eight assists.
A matinee built around the World Series
The game was played in the afternoon to avoid a direct clash with Game 1 of the World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays at American Family Field on Friday night. Two reviews for flagrant fouls, two coach challenges and 45 personal fouls stretched the game to nearly three hours, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Herro, who played for Miami last season, said before the season that he hoped to attend a World Series game for the first time, and the Bucks planned to head across town after the game.