Despite the Bulls' loss to the Bucks, Billy Donovan remains enthralled by their fighting spirit

Bulls fought back from being down 14 and forced an overtime thriller against the Bucks.

© Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls' four-game winning streak came to an end in Milwaukee, but coach Billy Donovan saw nothing but positive and encouraging signals from his team's performance against the Bucks on Wednesday.

The Bulls entered the Fiserv Forum with the determination to continue their winning ways. But the Bucks eventually defeated them due to a 14-point edge from the first half; Chicago still managed to claw their way back to the contest and even force a nail-biting overtime.

DeMar with his first 40-piece of the season.

41 points | 14-30 FG | 11 assists pic.twitter.com/clUGGDfMw8

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 12, 2023

The outstanding tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Coby White led the Bulls. Deebo, hit the running floater to push the game to the OT. He exploded for 41 points and 11 assists. Meanwhile, White continued his breakout season with 33 markers and six three-pointers.

Coby White continues playing at an All-Star caliber level.

33 points | 12-20 FG | 6-10 from three pic.twitter.com/VDVp1O4Y0E

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 12, 2023

Love the fighting effort

Donovan is nothing but proud of the heart and resilience that his Chicago squad has boasted against the Bucks.

Despite being short-handed and facing big odds to win after a one-sided first half, the Bulls kept pounding and nearly defeated the Bucks for the second time in 12 regular-season days.

“I was really proud of the way these guys competed and fought and battled all the way through,” Donovan said. “We got down by double digits, we came back several times. In overtime, we had some plays around the basket, we just couldn’t finish.”

Bucks coach praised the Bulls

Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin also applauded what the Bulls had offered against his team.

Behind DeMar and Coby, Chicago went toe-to-toe with Milwaukee starting from the third quarter. But in the end, Griffin is delighted that they were able to complete the escape.

“The Bulls played a terrific game,” Griffin said. “Every time we thought we had them down, they kind of fought and clawed back in the game.

Chicago Bulls' winning streak comes to an end at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks