Bulls need sustained effort against 1st place Bucks

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It’s been less than two weeks since the Bulls made the short trip north on I-94 to take on their long-time division rivals at the brand new Fiserv Forum.

Bulls fans won’t forget what happened that night. Fred Hoiberg’s guys ran out to a 22 point lead then completely fell apart in the 2nd half as the Bucks flipped the script and cruised to a 19 point win, leading Milwaukee fans to start serenading Bulls fans with a few choruses of “Go Cubs Go”, just to rub salt in the wounds of Cubs’ fans for the Brewers’ improbable run to the N.L. Central championship.

Let’s be honest, until Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis return there is a huge discrepancy in the talent level of these two teams. Milwaukee owns the 2nd best record in the Eastern Conference at 14-6, despite losing 2 of their last 3 games, including a home date against lowly Phoenix.

Meanwhile, the Bulls are off to a 5-16 start with 8 of those losses coming by 8 points or less. In the first meeting in Milwaukee, Jabari Parker scored 15 1st quarter points against his former team and Justin Holiday drained all 6 of his three point attempts in the opening half. The Bulls were up by 19 and cruising.

Then the 2nd half began and all those long jumpers started clanking off the rim, allowing the Bucks to unleash their lethal fast break, led by point guard Eric Bledsoe and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. Bledsoe had one of his best games this season, leading the Bucks with 25 points, while Giannis and Khris Middleton each added 23.

New Bucks’ coach Mike Budenholzer has instituted the share-the-wealth, 3 point heavy offense that brought so much success in Atlanta. The biggest beneficiary so far has been Robin Lopez’ twin brother Brook, who’s among the league leaders in 3 point attempts. The Bucks have also benefited from the return of Ersan Ilyasova for a 3rd tour of duty in Milwaukee, and the signing of under the radar free agent Pat Connaughton, the former 2-sport star at Notre Dame.

The Bucks now have one of the deepest rosters in the East, while Fred Hoiberg is just trying to hang on until reinforcements arrive. Zach LaVine continues to rank among the league’s top 10 scorers, but his decision to wave off Hoiberg’s play call in the final seconds of Monday’s one point loss to San Antonio could have a lasting effect.

LaVine has resorted to low percentage long jump shots on several occasions with the game on the line this season, and that tendency towards “hero ball” will have to change when the Bulls are back at close to full strength.

Markkanen should return to game action sometime next week, and you can bet Hoiberg is looking forward to pick and roll options with the 7 foot Markkanen and LaVine on need possessions in the future. Ultimately, it will be up to LaVine to make the right decision with the ball in his hands. It’s a situation that bears a close watch for the remainder of the season as the front office evaluates the chemistry among the talented young players on the roster.

As for Wednesday night, the Bulls figure to be up against it against a Bucks’ team that’s bound to be frustrated after last second losses to Phoenix and Charlotte. What can the Bulls do to hang with Giannis and company?

1. BOMBS AWAY.  Holiday has made at least one three pointer in his last 32 games to establish a new franchise record. Hopefully the rims in the Bucks’ new arena continue to be kind to the veteran swingman, and teammates Jabari Parker, LaVine and Ryan Arcidiacono are also hitting from beyond the arc. In case you hadn’t noticed, Arcidiacono is currently 16th in the NBA from 3 point range at 44%, solidifying his status as the Bulls’ backup point guard once Dunn returns.

2. LIMIT 2ND CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES.  Rebounding continues to be an issue for the short handed Bulls, as is points allowed in the paint. Because of the injuries to Markkanen and Portis, the Bulls have been forced to go with small line-ups once the reserves come in, and that’s often led to big runs for the opposition.

3. PARKER’S PLACE.  Jabari speaks fondly of his 4 year run in Milwaukee, but you know he’d love to help hand the Bucks another unexpected home court loss. Now that Parker has ramped up his conditioning level, he’s starting to show some of the explosiveness and scoring skills that made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Remember when Parker arrived in Milwaukee, the expectation was he would become the Bucks’ leading scorer, with Giannis and Middleton as co-stars. Those plans were derailed by Parker’s two ACL injuries, but he looks healthy again and ready to take on his old teammates.

Kelly Crull is with the team in Milwaukee, and she’ll report from Fiserv Forum on Bulls Pregame Live, Wednesday at 6:30 on NBC Sports Chicago and the My Teams by NBC Sports app. The Bulls-Bucks game broadcast will be on WGN, but as soon as the action goes final, flip back to NBC Sports Chicago for Hoiberg’s media session and player reaction on Bulls Postgame Live with Kendall Gill and me.

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