Milwaukee Bucks: Grades from 116-96 Win Over Chicago Bulls

Dec 31, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dunks against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks bounced back to end 2016 the right way with a blowout win over the Chicago Bulls. How did the players grade, though?

The Milwaukee Bucks didn’t stay down for long after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Milwaukee started slow against the Chicago Bulls, falling behind 11-1 early on, but that didn’t stop the Bucks from winning.

After that hot Bulls start, the Bucks outscored Chicago by 30 points over the rest of the game, to win 116-96. Pretty much every member of the Bucks popped off against the Bulls, making this game one of the most fun to watch all season for Bucks fans.

Milwaukee has now won all three games they’ve played against the Bulls this year. This rivalry used to operate the opposite way, but it’s clear that Chicago has no answer for the Bucks this year. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker are just too much for the Bulls.

Jimmy Butler, bless his heart, tried his best to stop his Bulls from losing. Michael Carter-Williams got a chance for revenge in this one, and that didn’t work out so well for him. To find out more about this game and the Bucks involved, read on through our grades!

Dec 31, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Thon Maker (L) celebrates with guard Malcolm Brogdon (rigRht) after defeating the Chicago Bulls 116-96 at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Starters

Malcolm Brogdon

G, Milwaukee Bucks

A+Malcolm Brogdon bounced back after a slightly rough outing in his first start in a big way. Brogdon posted his first career triple-double on Saturday, racking up 15 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds. Although the President may be better suited for the bench, it’s starting to become tough to imagine sitting him down after a performance like this. Brogdon shot over 50 percent from the field and made half of his two attempted threes, in addition to playing his usual good defense on Michael Carter-Williams, who really wanted to prove himself as the better player. So much for that–MCW shot one-for-six from the field and scored just four points.

Tony Snell

G, Milwaukee Bucks

BIt’s the Tony Snell revenge game, back again! Snell took just three shots, but he scored eight points and racked up an assist and a steal. He also had a turnover. Snell wasn’t loud on offense, but he played his typical pretty good defense and made some really big shots. Snell is a great reserve wing to have. He’s seemingly got a great attitude, and he’s all business on the floor.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

G/F, Milwaukee Bucks

A+Giannis Antetokounmpo is so damn good. He proved it on Saturday, scoring 35 points on 13-for-19 shooting from the field and one made three. Giannis didn’t stop with the points though. He also dropped nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and seven blocks. That’s not a typo–seven blocks! Giannis finds new ways to amaze anybody watching on a near-nightly basis. How could this dude not be an All-Star?

Jabari Parker

F, Milwaukee Bucks

AJabari Parker took over this game in the fourth quarter and dropped a significant amount of his 27 points there. Jabari is the Bucks closer, and he stepped into that role beautifully against the Bulls. With those 27 points, Jabari also racked up five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Jabari was efficient as well–he made 10 of his 15 attempted shots against Chicago. One of the more exciting parts of his performance was the fact that he guarded Jimmy Butler for portions of the game, and looked pretty good doing it!

John Henson

C, Milwaukee Bucks

FIn a game where pretty much all of the Milwaukee Bucks went off, John Henson only went off of the floor. In 14 minutes played, Henson dropped one point and three rebounds. He also racked up four personal fouls, somehow. Henson just hasn’t been doing much of note lately, and this coupled with the Timberwolves game makes two straight where Henson had problems being effective as the starting center.Next: Bench

Dec 31, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; The Milwaukee Bucks celebrate after scoring during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at United Center. The Bucks won 116-96. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Bench

Greg Monroe

C, Milwaukee Bucks

AThis was one of the better Greg Monroe performances of the season for sure. Moose scored 15 points plus grabbed 12 rebounds, posting a double-double that was reminiscent of the old Greg Monroe. His good defense, two steals and three assists were enough to remember that this is the new Greg Monroe, though. Moose also worked hard to get Brogdon his triple-double. eventually giving him the tenth assist on a nice layup late in the fourth quarter.

Mirza Teletovic

F, Milwaukee Bucks

C+Mirza Teletovic didn’t do much in this game, although he did dump on the Bulls. If you were watching the Bucks broadcast, you’ll get that reference. Anyway, Mirza scored six points on two made threes, and also added three rebounds and an assist. Unsurprisingly, his six points came on two made threes.

Jason Terry

G, Milwaukee Bucks

CJason Terry almost had a vintage Jason Terry night, but he scored four points instead of three. The fourth came on a free throw, and of course the first three came on a three-point attempt. JET shot one-for-three from the field, and one-for-two from deep. He also added two assists and a steal, although his most valuable contributions might be his dope cheering for the other Bucks and his crowd hyping.

Steve Novak

F, Milwaukee Bucks

A+It looks like Steve Novak is going streaking! This is two straight games he’s scored in now, this time off of a nice fadeaway around the basket. Maybe I wrote off Novak prematurely. The man can still shoot, that much is clear. He only had two minutes to work with on Saturday, but he made it work out.

Thon Maker

F, Milwaukee Bucks

AThon Maker is back after a quiet garbage time performance last time. Thon has established himself as a shooter in his short time with the Bucks so far, and he made his only shot against the Bulls. It was a three-pointer. It’s going to be exciting to watch this guy play real minutes some day. Next: Jason Kidd

Dec 30, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd reacts in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Timberwolves beat the Bucks 116-99. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Head Coach

Jason Kidd

Coach, Milwaukee Bucks

AJason Kidd deserves credit for keeping his team motivated in this game, and for sticking with Brogdon at the point even after the Bulls hopped out to a quick 11-1 start. Getting past a deficit like that is never easy, but the Bucks managed it on Saturday. Much was made on the broadcast about how much Kidd has worked with Brogdon, and it showed in his great performance and Kidd-esque triple-double against the Bulls. 20-point wins are always nice, and the extra motivation Kidd gave the Bucks by saying they couldn’t go out if they lost seemed to have worked out. Next: Chicago Bulls

Dec 31, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Carter-Williams (7) dribbles the ball around Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon (13) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Opposition

Chicago Bulls

Central, 16-18

With the win Milwaukee moves back up to .500 at 16-16. The Bucks are now the seventh seed in the East, although that could and probably will change entirely in the next few days.

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