Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls Preview: A Christmas I-94 battle

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls Preview: A Christmas I-94 battle.

Coming off an impressive team win against the Washington Wizards—down Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard—the Milwaukee Bucks will try to enter Christmas on a high note as they battle the Chicago Bulls tonight. Fresh off his 34-point near-triple-double against the Wizards, Bobby Portis will almost certainly be feeling the holiday cheer against the franchise that drafted him. The series between these teams sits at 1-1 this season, with Chicago winning the first game and Milwaukee taking the second.

Where We’re At

As was mentioned in the intro, the Bucks beat the Wizards on Saturday, but lost to the Cavaliers the night prior, which came after their NBA Cup championship game victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Vegas on Tuesday. The loss to the Cavs in Cleveland felt very much scheduled when you consider the emotional hangover and travel involved, but an assertive win without Milwaukee’s two main stars over the Wizards was nice to see. Another test of the Bucks depth and coherence as a unit could be in the offing tonight; the optimist in us all should welcome mid-season measuring stick tilts like this.

The Bulls remain a funhouse mirror this season coming into tonight as winners of three of their last four. Most impressive of those three was a victory over the Boston Celtics in which Zach LaVine dropped 36 points. The other two wins included a one point win over the Toronto Raptors and a solid drubbing of the Charlotte Hornets. Their loss? A second game against Boston right after the unlikely upset wherein Chicago got whooped, 123-98. What version of the Bulls takes the floor tonight? Your guess is as good as mine.

 

Injury Report

For Milwaukee, Damian Lillard is doubtful (right calf strain). Giannis is questionable with the back spasms that kept him out of the Washington game, as is Chris Livingston (non-Covid illness). Khris Middleton is probable (bilateral ankle surgery).

For Chicago, Josh Giddey (right ankle sprain) and Torrey Craig (left Achilles tendinopathy) are both listed as questionable.

 

Player To Watch

Can Bobby Portis have another strong performance from both a scoring and assisting standpoint? Portis may be able to take advantage of the Bulls’ shoddy defence, which ranks 25th on the season but somehow ninth over the last five games.

 

How To Watch

FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 7:00 PM CST.