Takeaways & Player Grades: Milwaukee Bucks 112, Chicago Bulls 103

The Chicago Bulls' hot streak was snapped in familiar fashion.

After having the Milwaukee Bucks disrupt their 6-1 start to the year, they let it happen again at the United Center on Saturday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from his extended absence and feasted on Chicago's weak interior defense. Meanwhile, the Bulls' own recently efficient offense was anything but.

The Bulls' 41.9 shooting effort was their worst since the December 14 loss to New Orleans, while their 103 points were their fewest since the December 7 loss to Golden State. The only question now is, can the Bulls avoid letting this off-night spiral into another massive losing streak?

3 Takeaways

Tre Jones of the Chicago Bulls — Dec 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Harris (11) defends Chicago Bulls guard Tre Jones (30) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Giannis Picks Up Where He Left Off

The Chicago Bulls were up an uncharacteristic 10-3. Then, Giannis Antetokounmpo tightened his laces. The Greek Freak was suddenly upgraded to questionable on Saturday afternoon after an eight-game absence. Dealing with a calf strain, many expected him to remain sidelined for at least a couple more games, but the super-human Antetokounmpo has a knack for bouncing back sooner than anticipated.

Nothing about the big man looked rusty. Dominating Chicago on for 41 points on 16-32 shooting in their first meeting of the year, he picked up right where he left off over the first half. He scored 15 points on 7-9 shooting from the field, even draining a shot from behind the arc!

Whether it was Isaac Okoro or Patrick Williams, the Bulls had zero answer for his physicality down low. And this only opened up more opportunities for his teammates. Milwaukee as a whole followed his lead and went 12-16 from the restricted area over the first two quarters. How did the Bulls fare? An ugly 9-21.

To their credit, Chicago’s bench did what they do best and helped rattle off a run to keep things tight as halftime approached. Chicago also shot 8-15 from long range. But the Bucks’ sheer dominance inside was the key difference-maker early on.

Missed Opportunities

As great as Giannis Antetokounmpo played, it's not as if this Bucks squad looked entirely rejuvenated. Their offense was still rather one-dimensional, and their ball movement left a lot to be desired. Rebounding has also been a major issue for this group all season long, and the Bulls were able to take advantage of just that.

Chicago finished with a rare win in the offensive rebounding department. They grabbed 16 compared to Milwaukee's 11, which happened to be their most since November 22 against the Wizards. The only problem? The Bulls only turned these second-chance opportunities into 13 points, which the Bucks matched. Likewise, when it mattered most in a tight fourth quarter, the Bucks outrebounded the Bulls 15-9. That's a problem.

The Bulls also didn't help themselves in the turnover department. They forked the ball over 15 times, and 11 of those mistakes came in the first half. Milwaukee used these slip-ups to gain the early momentum that stuck with them through much of the night.

An NBA Scuffle

Playing their 13th clutch game of the season, the Chicago Bulls were on the brink of picking up their sixth consecutive win. Then, Antetokounmpo did Antetokounmpo things.

The superstar closed things out with his physicality, forcing his way to the free throw line up a couple of scores and icing the game. His final 2 points of the night, however, came in a very controversial fashion. The Bulls were allowing Milwaukee to dribble the clock out up 110-103 with roughly 7.0 seconds to go, but Antetokounmpo took that as an opportunity to rock the rim.

To say the Bulls took issue with that would be an understatement, and you can read more about what they had to say in our post from earlier tonight.

So, what do I think of the drama? I'm a strong believer that two things can be true. Yes, the Bulls had a chance to win this game and let it slip away. The best way to ensure something like that doesn't happen is by holding onto the lead. Simple as that.

At the same time, we all know the unwritten rule in the NBA. The Bulls took off their boxing gloves and waved the white flag. What did Antetokounmpo do? He threw a sucker punch, and that's why I think the Bulls' response was completely fair. You can play dirty if you want, but you have to own it.

Chicago Bulls Player Grades

Zach Collins – A-
Stats: 10 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST

You have to give Zach Collins credit. He continues to be a breath of fresh air off the bench, and he continues to see Billy Donovan lean heavily on him down the stretch of games.

Josh Giddey – B-
Stats: 13 PTS, 9 AST, 7 REB

Josh Giddey was trending toward a very bad night in the first half, but he made up for it in the third quarter. He shifted the energy coming out of the locker room and helped put the Bulls in a position to take the lead with 8 points in the frame.

Nikola Vucevic – C+
Stats: 16 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST

Considering the opponent and the Bulls' shooting woes, Nikola Vucevic had a surprisingly solid night. He went 7-14 from the field, which included a 5-7 showing in the tightly contested fourth quarter. Nevertheless, his weak rim protection only stands out more on nights like this.

Coby White – C
Stats: 16 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST

Coby White had a much better shooting night from long range tonight, but he went just 2-6 in the fourth quarter and committed a team-high five turnovers.

Matas Buzelis – D+
Stats: 8 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL

After a couple of strong performances during the Bulls' win streak, Matas Buzelis disappeared tonight. Another learning experience for the youngster against some elite competition.