The Milwaukee Bucks finally snapped their two-game losing streak, defeating the Chicago Bulls, 118-109, on Monday, November 13, at the Fiserv Forum.
It was a much-needed win for the Bucks, coming off back-to-back losses to the Indiana Pacers (124-126) and the Orlando Magic (97-112).
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The game also saw the return of Damian Lillard to the lineup. Returning from a calf injury, the 33-year-old All-Star guard played 32 minutes and finished the game with 12 points, five assists, and three rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with a double-double performance of 25 points and 11 boards. Bobby Portis also chipped in a double-double performance, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds, ESPN reported.
Here are some takeaways from the Bucks win over the Bulls:
1. Bucks get a lift from Lillard.
The return of Lillard gave the Bucks a lift. He was a game-time decision for head coach Adrian Griffin, and his presence was a huge relief for the struggling Bucks, Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported.
Although it was initially suggested that Lillard's minutes would be monitored, he was good to go. He gave the Bucks another offensive option to earn this much-needed win for Milwaukee.
2. Bucks controlled the boards.
With Antetokounmpo and Portis manning the boards, the edge unsurprisingly favored the Bucks. Milwaukee outrebounded the Bulls 53-47 in total.
Most of that came from the defensive end, with the Bucks holding the edge in defensive rebounds, 40-29.
A glaring stat for the Bucks is their 15 turnovers compared to the Bulls, who had only six. Aside from the rebounding edge, the Bucks made up for those errors by taking more shots and shooting better from the field at 47.2% compared to the Bulls' 38%.
3. Middleton makes Bucks' history.
Khris Middleton, who ended with 13 points and six rebounds, also made history in that win over the Bulls after he became the fifth-leading scorer in franchise history, Reuters reported.
Middleton upped his point production to 11,559, overtaking Redd, who had 11,554 points across his name. The 32-year-old needs just 36 more points to overtake another Bucks great in Sidney Moncrief, who owns a point total of 11,594.
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