The Chicago Bulls’ struggle to defend Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t exclusive to them, but has further dug them in to their late-season hole.
The Bucks dominated the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night in Milwaukee to the tune of a 28-point win. In recent years, they’ve bested the Bulls 15 out of the last 16 times.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the main factor in the dominance, averaging 22 points and nine rebounds against the Bulls in his career. This season, despite the Bulls having what was expected to be a contending roster, Antetokounmpo has destroyed them on sight.
On Tuesday, he tallied 25 points and 17 rebounds to help the Bucks to a 126-98 win. He was able to do that damage coming off right knee soreness that sidelined him the previous game. Antetokounmpo has had the Bulls number this entire season, going 3-0 and scoring 64 combined points in the previous two matchups.
The Bulls have done a poor job defending Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Bulls have tried different schemes on Antetokounmpo every game — with each failing. Tuesday night’s scheme was the worst of the three. The Bulls decided to do a soft blitz on Antetokounmpo in the pick and roll in an attempt to bait him into taking the jump shot.
Antetokounmpo was able to comfortably get into his shooting motion, hitting three midrange jump-shots and blew by the Bulls big whenever he felt like it.
The most troubling aspect of this scheme was the amount of time it gave Antetokounmpo to think in the pocket. He was able to play at his pace and dish out to Bucks shooters (five assists). Milwaukee shot 61% from the floor and had seven players score in double figures.
They were able to have this level of success without their second-leading scorer in Kris Middleton.
What about the last Bulls-Bucks matchup vs Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Defending Antetokounmpo one-on-one is practically a non-starter. One of the most effective ways in limiting his impact is keeping him off the court. He has a history of getting in foul trouble, and that history repeated itself in the Bulls second game against the Bucks this season.
They attacked Antetokounmpo in the pick and roll, with Zach LaVine practically living at the rim. While the Greek Freak got some good blocks in, he also picked up four fouls that forced him to the bench.
The problem in this game was the amount of times he got to line. He shot 19 free throws, making 10 of them. These. were the most free throw attempts he got in all three matchups. He also scored eight points off of offensive rebounds. Free throws and second-chance opportunities accounted for 18 of his 34 points.
In this game, the Bulls shot better from the field, three and free throw line. The game came down to careless turnovers and a bad showing on the boards.
The second Greek Freak blueprint was the best
The first meeting between the two teams may had been the best they did against Antetokounmpo. The Bucks excel when they are able to push the tempo. They rank in the top 10 for fast-break points and pace. When forced to set up their offense and get into secondary breaks, they struggle score and rely on Middleton as their primary option.
The Bulls exploited that flaw in their first matchup, slowing the game up. The Bulls held them under 100 points — the Bucks have been held under 100 points nine times this season and have lost seven of those contests.
In games where the pace slows up, his player impact estimate drops from 21.4 to 15.7 and 39% of his points come from offensive rebounds. In their first matchup, his player impact estimate was a 16.2 and he scored eight points on second-chance opportunities.
This plan worked for much of the game, but the Bulls faltered in final three minutes of play. Chicago allowed four offensive rebounds in the final 2:30 and the Bucks rebounded over the their average of 46, grabbing 52 rebounds — 11 of which were offensive boards. Antetokounmpo’s one offensive rebound that game was the one that led to a put-back and gave the Bucks the lead and the win. Despite the 94-90 loss, this was the most effective manner for neutralizing Giannis.
Tuesday’s win gave Milwaukee the season series, helping them in their push for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls, on the other hand, have now lost nine of their last 11. If they continue to fall in the seeding they may have a first-round matchup with the Bucks.
If they are stuck with a seven-game series against Milwaukee, they will need to key in on slowing down the tempo, attacking Antetokounmpo on offense and keeping him off the boards. Billy Donovan needs to learn from what the Bulls have done against him so far to exploit that in the final matchup for the regular season and then a potential playoff series.