With Antetokounmpo Sidelined, Bucks Beat Bulls 117-106
CHICAGO (AP) — Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon each scored 22 points, and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 117-106 Monday night without All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While the Greek Freak sat out with a sore right knee, the Bucks overcame a sluggish start to pick up their 17th win in 19 games.
The Bucks used a huge second quarter to grab a nine-point lead after falling behind by 14. That propelled them to their eighth straight road win — their best streak since a nine-game run during the 1981-82 season.
Brogdon hit four 3-pointers. Middleton nailed three from beyond the arc. Nikola Mirotic scored 13, and the Bucks moved a season-high 32 games over .500.
Lauri Markkanen and Robin Lopez each scored 26 for Chicago. But the Bulls' season-high three-game win streak came to an end.
It was the ninth straight 20-point game for Markkanen, who scored a career-best 35 against Boston on Saturday.
Lopez had his highest scoring game of the season. But Zach LaVine finished with 11 coming off a career-high 42-point game.
The Bucks trailed by 14 late in the first quarter, only to outscore Chicago 38-16 in the second to grab a 63-54 halftime lead.
Brogdon had nine points in a 16-2 run to start the period as Milwaukee erased a 13-point deficit. Middleton scored 12 over the final 4:07, including a step-back 3 in the closing seconds to send Milwaukee to the locker room up by nine. And the Bucks never really were threatened after that.
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