One like and dislike from the Chicago Bulls loss to the Milwaukee Bucks

The Chicago Bulls lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 110-96 on Sunday in the United Center. It’s time to check out my one like and dislike from the game.

The Chicago Bulls allowed the Milwaukee Bucks to shoot a scorching 46.4 percent from beyond the arc and extended their losing streak to four games with a 110-96 loss to the Bucks on Sunday in the United Center. The Bulls hold a 2-1 season series advantage in the I-94 rivalry despite the loss.

Fun Fact #1: Bulls failed to score at least 100 points against the Bucks. It ends their streak of consecutive games with at least 100 points at nine games, their longest streak of the season.

Fun Fact #2: Rookie Lauri Markkanen, the player of the game, tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. He has the second most double-doubles by a rookie this season behind 76ers guard Ben Simmons, who has 19.

Dislike: The second quarter

I don’t know where to start because there was a lot to dislike about the Bulls’ performance in this loss. The Windy City franchise started the game with ill-advised shots, low energy and careless turnovers; seven giveaways in the opening quarter.

Bulls didn’t seek out enough shots for Markkanen throughout the game, he shot 4-for-7 from the field before the fourth quarter.

They allowed the Bucks to destroy them in transition with 4.6 points per 100 possessions added through transition points off live rebounds, which is in the 83^rd percentile in comparison to the rest of the league. But, it was the Bucks’ scoring output in the second quarter that evaporated the Bulls’ chances of winning the game.

The Bucks outscored the Bulls 35-22 in the quarter and didn’t let up. The Bucks consistently found ways to score whenever it felt like the Bulls had a shot of reducing the lead.

The Bulls allowed the Bucks to hit 6 of their 9 3-point attempts in the second quarter. This includes a combined 6-for-7 3-point shooting from guards Tony Snell, Sterling Brown, Matthew Dellavedova and Jason Terry and forward Khris Middleton in the quarter.

The Bucks didn’t have a hard time exposing the Bulls’ lethargic play.

https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/957729066446028800

Bulls did an inadequate job of preventing the Bucks from making 3-pointers in the second quarter whether it was in the half-court or transition.

https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/957727745538105344

It’s possible the Bulls were due for this sort of game against the Bucks. The Milwaukee franchise has been on fire since firing former Head Coach Jason Kidd and they’re supremely more talented than the Bulls.

But, it was disappointing to see the Bulls not provide a lot of resistance early in the game. It made the loss feel inevitable.

Like: Denzel Valentine floaters

Denzel Valentine came off the bench with a mission to get buckets in the first half. He had 16 points off 10 shots in the opening half before going scoreless for the remainder of the game.

Valentine outscored the starting lineup in the first half. He provided an offensive punch for a Chicago Bulls team that desperately needed it early in the game.

Valentine made a couple of 3-pointers in the opening half, but he did most of his damage with his floaters.

I’ve written about how Valentine can struggle creating shots for himself due to his lack of athleticism and quick burst.

His floater has been solid enough this season for defenders to have to respect it but not good enough for defenses to consider him a true scoring threat when he drives into the paint.

Valentine’s touch was on a different level tonight. He found the right amount of arc and power to put on his shot when he was pulling up.

Defenses are going to have to respect Valentine a little bit more as a scoring threat if he’s able to display consistent improvements on his floaters like he did tonight.