Bulls hold off Herro to get season back on track in Milwaukee
Trailing by fifteen points, the Bulls won 132–125 in Milwaukee on 23 October. Norman Powell and Caleb Wilson led Chicago, who handled the closing stages better despite Tyler Herro's 34 points.
Contribution SNA · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Synthetic English voice · 3 min 00 s
Chicago needed a response after a poor start to the season. It came at the Fiserv Forum on Friday 23 October, in a 132–125 win over Milwaukee. The Bulls erased a fifteen-point deficit before making the difference in the final possessions. They level their record at one win and one defeat; the Bucks remain winless after two games.
A slow start, then the offence clicks
Milwaukee won the first quarter 32–17. Chicago, however, did not let that lead dictate the evening: their 44 points in the second period cut the gap to one at the break, 62–61 to the Bucks. The two teams then kept trading baskets, with Milwaukee taking the third quarter 42–41. With twelve minutes left, everything was still up for grabs: 104–102.
Norman Powell finished as the Bulls' top scorer with 25 points. Caleb Wilson added 21, along with six rebounds and two blocks. The team also found answers off the bench: Leonard Miller scored 19 points, Buddy Hield 13 and Tre Jones 11 with eight assists, without a turnover. In all, Chicago's bench produced 59 points, including 12 from Isaac Okoro and four from Noa Essengue.
Herro takes charge, Chicago answers in the final period
Tyler Herro carried Milwaukee's resistance with 34 points, including five three-pointers on ten attempts. Two consecutive threes put the Bucks back in front, 119–118, with less than four minutes to play. A Myles Turner basket after an offensive rebound again gave the hosts the lead, 123–122. Chicago nonetheless had the resources to regain control and win the final quarter 30–21.
The difference also showed at the free-throw line: the Bulls converted 28 of their 30 attempts, against 14 of 26 for Milwaukee. Powell went nine of nine and Jones five of five. The Bucks thus left twelve points at the line in a game lost by seven, despite better shooting from deep: 19 three-pointers, against twelve for Chicago.
A collective win for the Bulls
Jalen Smith added 14 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago. For the Bucks, Jaime Jaquez Jr. racked up 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists; Turner finished with 12 points and five blocks. Both teams handed out 29 assists and grabbed 44 rebounds. Milwaukee, however, turned the ball over 19 times, against 14 for the Bulls.
Chicago thus leave with a first win built on more than just their top scorer. Milwaukee, who still had the means to win in the closing minutes, must extend Herro's successful spells and finish their possessions better. Find the box score and stats on SNA.