Giannis Antetokounmpo dominates in Bulls’ irritating loss to Bucks

Nothing good occurs after 9 p.m. on the United Middle.

A minimum of, that is what Giannis Antetokounmpo proved Friday evening together with his utter dominance within the Bulls’ 113-97 loss to the Bucks.

The Bulls had no reply for him from the second the ball was tipped, proving that this border battle is healthier characterised as bullying by the Bucks.

Antetokounmpo was larger, sooner and stronger than anyone the Bulls deployed to defend him. He had 23 factors on the half and completed with 46 factors, 16 rebounds and 6 assists, validating the case Bucks coach Doc Rivers made earlier than the sport for his MVP candidacy.

The one high quality of the sport that warranted the rivalry characterization was its chippiness. Even with the Bucks in management, each groups had a lot to say to one another.

“We have now to take a look at how we will reply in these conditions higher and management the emotional degree higher,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan stated.

DeMar DeRozan and Bobby Portis Jr. exchanged phrases within the closing minute of the third quarter after the Bucks ahead despatched DeRozan to the ground going for a defensive rebound. Whereas DeRozan was on the ground, Portis took an additional second to stare him down.

When DeRozan obtained up, he fouled Portis in transition and was issued a flagrant-one foul and assessed with a technical. It was the look from Portis that DeRozan took subject with.

“I do not play the video games, staring down any individual,” DeRozan stated. “I am at all times competing, doing all of your factor, all that. I really feel something disrespectful in any kind of method I do not settle for that.”

DeRozan additionally expressed frustration with the officiating. The Bucks took 32 free-throw makes an attempt in comparison with the Bulls’ 16.

“I do not suppose [the Bucks] had been attempting to get beneath our pores and skin,” DeRozan stated. “I believe so far as officiating, simply name it honest. That is extra the place the frustration got here from.”

The groups continued to conflict within the fourth quarter.

With slightly below 10 minutes to play, Nikola Vucevic despatched AJ Inexperienced to the deck as he drove to the rim. A short dust-up beneath the basket left Portis and Vucevic chirping at one another.

Vucevic was ejected after his foul was upgraded to a flagrant-two following the officers’ overview.

“I commented to the officers early within the sport about the place this was going,” Donovan stated. “I will simply depart it at that.”

Vucevic left the sport with 17 factors and 9 rebounds. Coby White led the Bulls with 22 factors, and DeRozan added 12 factors and 9 assists. On his method out of the world, Vucevic went in search of Inexperienced to apologize.

He did not acknowledge that anybody second provoked his arduous foul. As a substitute, he attributed it to a build-up of frustration all through the sport.

“We weren’t taking part in in addition to we wished to,” Vucevic stated. “We weren’t making photographs. They obtained going a little bit bit and had been capable of construct a lead.”

The Bucks put the sport on ice with a 17-0 run within the fourth quarter. After notching 10 straight factors within the quarter, Patrick Beverley — a product of Marshall Excessive College — pridefully yelled, “That is my metropolis,” to the followers behind the Bucks’ bench.

One of many solely brilliant spots within the Bulls’ loss was DeRozan eclipsing 23,000 profession factors. He is the thirty fifth participant in NBA historical past to take action and one in all simply six energetic gamers to hit that mark, becoming a member of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry.