Milwaukee Bucks give Chicago Bulls reason to fear the deer in 123-102 loss

The Chicago Bulls ended 2019 on a low note in a Monday night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Here’s a look at how the Milwaukee Bucks gave the Chicago Bulls a reason to fear the deer.

It was a bit of a rude awakening from the beginning when the two division rivals came together. Why, you ask? I will refer you to the highlights of the game, in case you missed it.

First quarter

The Bucks got off to a hot start, and the Bulls had no answer for it at first.

It didn’t help when big man Wendell Carter Jr. was seen heading toward the locker room raising questions as to why. NBA Twitter erupted in curiosity.

Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score stated in a tweet everything that everyone was thinking.

The mystery surrounding Carter’s early exit for the locker room loomed for many. It wouldn’t be very long before he re-entered the game.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago took to Twitter, saying there may not be reason to be concerned for Carter.

Still, the Bulls had other reasons to be concerned.

Despite attempts to attack the rim, guard Zach LaVine didn’t get any calls to go his way, though he was on the receiving end of a bit of contact at times.

The Bulls were down 31-20 at the end of the first quarter.

Second quarter

As the second quarter got underway, the Bulls found themselves holding their ground alongside the likes of the Bucks. The offense started to click, as did the defense.

Rookie Daniel Gafford did the unthinkable by swatting forward Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shot. It was quite a sight for many.

NBA Twitter reacted to the block heard around the league.

As DeAntae Prince of the Chicago Tribune pointed out, it’s not too common that Antetokounmpo’s shot is challenged in such a manner.

Rookie Coby White came up huge for the Bulls. He’s clearly not afraid to shoot in the big moments.

Check it out:

One thing to note is the way the Bulls shot the ball lights out from beyond the three-point line. Among those lighting it up was White.

Take a look:

Another thing to note is the officiating didn’t appear to favor the Bulls. The team failed to get to the free-throw line. The Bucks were dominant in that regard.

By the end of the second quarter, the Bucks led the Bulls 55-52.

Third quarter

After coming up big in the first half, there was an expectation that forward Lauri Markkanen would continue to shine.

Things didn’t pan out according to plan.

The Bulls’ offense became stagnant during this stretch. Not to forget to mention the Bulls couldn’t get any calls to go their way until the 10:22 mark of the third quarter. At that point, guard Kris Dunn became the first Bull to get called to the free-throw line.

It’s clear that the Bucks did a bit of homework reading the Bulls’ scouting report. They stopped defending Dunn, daring him to shoot the ball or make a play with it.

NBA Twitter had its choice of words for the “Rajon Rondo treatment” that was applied to Dunn.

DeAntae Prince of the Chicago Tribune points out that the Bucks purposefully gave Dunn space at the top of the key only to stop the Bulls from staging a comeback.

The buzz surrounding the fact that Dunn received the “Rajon Rondo treatment” didn’t end there.

Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score indicates in a pair of tweets how Dunn is at fault for not commanding the floor as a three-point shooting threat.

I beg to differ. What the analytics say about three-pointers isn’t everything it’s thought to be. It doesn’t help the way the Bulls left Dunn on an island with no one to draw the defense’s attention to.

Eventually, the Bulls inserted guard Ryan Arcidiacono in place of Dunn. The Bucks adjusted their defensive scheme accordingly.

Here’s what Dunn had to say of the way the Bucks guarded him during the third quarter.

Things started to get out of hand for the Bulls as time chipped away. They found themselves down by double digits during this stretch.

The Bucks led the Bulls 95-77 at the end of the third quarter.

Fourth quarter

After a tough third quarter, all the Bulls could do is try to keep the game close.

The reserves were inserted into the lineup at a certain point with chances shot of getting a win at home against one of the league’s hottest teams.

Give the Bulls some credit where it is due. The reserves played hard, and they refused to let the game any more out of hand than it already was.

By the sound of the final buzzer, the Bucks beat the Bulls 123-102.

Next up, the Bulls will take on the Utah Jazz. The game starts Thursday at 7 p.m. CST.