After Monday night’s lackluster loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Jason Kidd challenged his Milwaukee Bucks calling their performance a “no-show” against the Eastern Conference’s top teams. And the next time out, they responded in a big way.
The Bucks had lost their last nine games to the Chicago Bulls, but Wednesday night at BMO Harris Bradley Center, they answered their coach’s call to action and earned a tough 95-91 victory.
“The last game Coach made a comment about our effort and energy,” said guard Michael Carter-Williams. “We wanted to respond to that in a positive way. He really motivated us. He puts in the position to win. I think we responded well.”
MCW was the leader of that charge, tallying 21 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Bucks in the big win. Afterward, Coach Kidd was singing a much different tune than he was Monday night.
“They responded,” J-Kidd said. “They played 48 minutes with energy and effort. Looking back at the season, this was what they did early on. They had to compete. It was going to be physical. I think they responded in a positive way.”
Against a fellow playoff contender, the Bucks picked up some much-needed breathing room by moving 2.5 games head of the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets who are now tied for seventh place. They also took down an opponent they could see in a seven-game series later this month. Chicago currently sits in a tie for third with the Toronto Raptors, and with the Bucks looking like the potential sixth seed, there is a possibility for the neighboring squads to meet in the first round.
“Any win, no matter at what point here or there, can help,” Jason said, downplaying the victory over the Chicago club.
Carter-Williams, the reigning Rookie of the Year, who just joined the Bucks from the Philadelphia 76ers in February, talked about the rivalry between the two teams whose arenas are less than 100 miles apart.
“I was shocked,” Carter-Williams said of the rivalry. “I didn’t know what it was like. I didn’t know there were that many Bulls fans here. It was almost like we were playing in an away game. But it is good for us. It was a good test for us. We came out with the win.”
Milwaukee shot just north of 41 percent for the game, but it was the activity on the defensive end that made the difference. The Bucks made Chicago turn the ball over 20 times, and shoot just 19.2 percent from the 3-point line (5-for-26).
Bulls wingman Jimmy Butler had 25 points and seven rebounds, but Chicago’s other key player, Pau Gasol, was having a hard time finding a rhythm due to Zaza Pachulia and Ersan Ilyasova’s physical play.
“It was a great win against a great team,” Ilyasova said. “Especially with everybody close in a playoff run now. It’s huge for us, especially at home. When you play against a team like Chicago, you have to be 100% focused and have energy on the ball. They have a lot of guys who can score over 20 points a game.”
Ersan had 16 points including three three-pointers, and he was extremely pleased with how his team handled the Spaniard, who leads the NBA in double-doubles.
“Overall I thought we did a really good job on the big guys as well. We tried to double-team (Pau) Gasol. Obviously he hurt us in past games we played against him.”
Chicago led through much of the first half, and when his Bucks trailed by six late in the second quarter, the emotion in the game even got to the typically calm Kidd. He was one of three Bucks to pick up technical fouls Wednesday, as Milwaukee was clearly frustrated with the way the game was officiated.
“You have to understand what’s at stake,” Kidd said. “You also have to stand up for yourself. Sometimes getting a T is worth it. Emotion is part of the game. When we play with emotion that means we are in tune with what is happening. I’m not a guy that’s against T’s as long as it is worth getting a T and not wasting a T.”
Milwaukee was trailing by six at the time, and it responded with a 9-3 run to close the half at a 48-48 tie. The third frame teetered back and forth, but the Bulls took a four-point bump into the final frame, forcing Milwaukee to win it late.
The Bucks made some big plays in the final 2 minutes, including Giannis Antetokounmpo blocking a shot by E’Twaun Moore to preserve a one-point lead.B
Ersan Ilyasova tipped in a miss by Zaza Pachulia to boost the Bucks’ lead to 94-91 with 1:07 left in the final frame. The Bucks survived three missed three-pointers by the Bulls, two by Nikola Mirotic and one by Mike Dunleavy, before Antetokounmpo sank one of two free throws with 5.8 seconds left.
NEXT UP
With seven games left, the Bucks (37-38) finish out their final seven games with the goal of finishing above the .500 mark—starting Friday night with the Boston Celtics (34-41).
Milwaukee will also finish that seven game stretch with the season finale against the C’s, who will be highly motivated to scrape for that final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston currently sits just half a game off the Nets and Heat who are holding those final two spots in a tie for seventh.
Meanwhile, the Bucks can do something that they have done only four times since 1998 by finishing the regular season with a winning record. The most recent above .500 season was the 2009-10 Milwaukee club, coached by Scott Skiles.
Milwaukee will face the Boston Celtics at TD Garden Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
