Chicago Bulls vs Milwaukee Bucks Match Player Stats On Dec 15, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 15, 2017

MILWAUKEE -- Bobby Portis scored 27 points and the Chicago Bulls extended their winning streak to five games Friday night with a 115-109 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center.

Only one of Chicago's starting five failed to score in double figures as Nikola Mirotic added 22, Robin Lopez scored 18 and Kris Dunn finished with 17 for the Bulls (8-20), who shot 48.8 percent from the field and made eight of 22 attempts from beyond the arc.

Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee (15-12) with 29 points apiece but Middleton went 2-for-8 from distance while the Bucks were 9-for-32 as a team despite matching the Bulls by shooting 48 percent overall.

Trying to bounce back from their first loss in four games, the Bucks led 16-6 early but Kris Dunn rattled off five in a row on his own and the Bulls tied the game at 22 with 4:22 left in the opening quarter.

Chicago took advantage of foul trouble by the Bucks in the second quarter and went 6-for-11 from the free throw line to take a 59-58 lead at halftime.

A 5-0 run to close the third let the Bucks head into the fourth tied at 82.

Bledsoe fed Vaughn for a 3 that tied it at 98 and after Mirotic missed a 20-footer, Middleton's layup put the Bucks up 100-98 with five minutes remaining.

A Mirotic 3-pointer made it a 109-104 game and gave the Bulls some breathing room with 2:42 to play but Dunn fouled out with 1:24 left, fouling Middleton on a 3-point attempt.

He made all three, cutting the deficit to two, but Mirotic drew just enough contact on an underarm lob to head to the line and Chicago took a 112-107 lead after he converted the three-point play.

NOTES: Bulls C Lauri Markkanen did not travel with the team to Milwaukee and missed a third consecutive game because of back spasms. Head coach Fred Hoiberg said Markkanen was feeling better but that a two-hour bus ride to Milwaukee might be "counterproductive." ... Milwaukee has scored 100 points in 11 consecutive games -- the longest streak of 100-point games by a Bucks team since 1990-91, when they did it in 12 straight contests. The Bucks are 7-4 during the streak. ... The Bucks had won three of the last four meetings in the series but the Bulls have won 12 of their last 16 games in Milwaukee.