After opening the season by losing eight of their first 10 games, the Milwaukee Bucks are gradually rediscovering their winning ways.
Milwaukee has won three of its last four games heading into a matchup against the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Chicago snapped a two-game skid with a 122-112 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
The improving Bucks emerged with a 101-100 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Monday after Damian Lillard scored with 3.9 seconds remaining.
Brook Lopez had 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for Milwaukee, which snapped the Rockets’ five-game winning streak. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 20 points and 13 assists.
“I think everybody’s competing,” Antetokounmpo said. “I love to see it. This is what we have to do. Everybody has that individual pride. Everybody knows that you gotta guard. In order for us to win games, you gotta guard. There’s not any other way. I think players have taken that to heart and they’re going out there trying to guard the best way they can.”
Lillard returned after missing three games (concussion protocol) and had 18 points along with a season-high 10 assists. The Bucks held Houston to 40 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent (9 of 32) from 3-point range.
“I feel like we’re getting unified on the defensive end and we’re buying in more a little bit,” Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. said. “Obviously how we started the season we’ve changed some of the things we’ve done on the defensive end now with switching more, so it’s less fighting through screens and less having to do extra things.”
Milwaukee is looking to even the season series against Chicago after losing 133-122 on Oct. 25.
The Bulls turned in an encouraging outing on Monday after allowing a total of 287 points in back-to-back losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston.
The Bulls hit a low point in Sunday’s 143-107 loss to the Rockets. Chicago was outscored 41-26 in the second quarter and allowed Houston to shoot 52.4 percent from the field for the game.
Chicago coach Billy Donovan was pleased with his team’s resilience on Monday, when they bounced back by holding the Pistons to 15-of-44 shooting from 3-point range (34.1 percent).
“Just grit, toughness, fight back,” Donovan said. “At some point, you have to make a stand physically, and we tried to make a stand physically. That was certainly not what we did at all (Sunday) night.”
Nikola Vucevic had 29 points and 12 rebounds in Monday’s victory, while Zach LaVine added 25 points.
Vucevic is off to an impressive start this season, averaging 20.7 points while shooting 59.4 percent from the field, 48.4 percent from 3-point range and 84.8 percent from the foul line.
“I just wanted to come into this season and be me and play my game,” Vucevic said after Monday’s win. “I know what I am capable of and what I can do. I started off the year well and I just want to continue to play that way. Tonight, I wanted to be more aggressive, take a little more of the lead on both ends of the floor, play off my teammates.”
