NBA

Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls

· National Basketball Association
16-14, 5-9 Away
Final
111 - 116

14-18, 5-11 Home

Giddey's triple-double sends Bulls to 116-111 win over Bucks

Giddey amasses triple-double in return from injury

Giddey, who missed the previous four games with an ankle injury, sank two free throws with 10 seconds left to make it 115-111, then pulled down a rebound to help seal it as Chicago snapped a three-game losing streak.

Nikola Vucevic had 23 points and 13 rebounds. Coby White, who scored 22, nailed a tiebreaking jumper with 32 seconds remaining.

Damian Lillard returned to the lineup with 29 points and 12 assists, but the Bucks dropped their second straight. The star guard came on with 18 points in the second half as Milwaukee played without NBA scoring leader Giannis Antetokounmpo (illness) for a fourth consecutive game.

Brook Lopez had 22 points and Khris Middleton scored 17 of his 21 in the first half. Middleton, under a minutes restriction following offseason ankle surgery, played sparingly in the second half before hitting two key baskets late.

The Bulls led 62-60 at halftime after opening a pair of 13-point leads.

Takeaways Bucks: It took a while for the 34-year-old Lillard to heat up. He pulled Milwaukee back into the game and played 35:28.

Bulls: Chicago responded with a tighter effort following a 141-133 loss at Atlanta on Thursday when the Hawks rallied from a late 21-point deficit with 50 points in the fourth quarter.

Key moment The Bulls opened a seven-point cushion to start the third before the Bucks bounced back and took their first lead, 75-72, on Bobby Portis' 3-pointer midway through the quarter. Milwaukee led 84-83 after three, but Chicago used a 10-0 run to set up a close finish.

Key stat Chicago outscored Milwaukee 56-42 in the paint.

Up next The Bucks play at Indiana on New Year’s Eve. The Bulls are at Charlotte on Monday.

Regular Season Series

Series tied 2-2

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 111 - 116
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 111 - 116
4th 1.1 Bobby Portis defensive rebound 111 - 116
4th 3.1 Zach LaVine misses free throw 2 of 2 111 - 116
4th 3.1 Zach LaVine makes free throw 1 of 2 111 - 116

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/mil.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMIL https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/chi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHI
41-102 FG 45-95
40 Field Goal % 47
15-45 3PT 14-36
33 Three Point % 39
14-14 FT 12-17
100 Free Throw % 71
43 Rebounds 52
6 Offensive Rebounds 11
37 Defensive Rebounds 41
27 Assists 33
6 Steals 4
7 Blocks 6
7 Turnovers 11
1 Team Turnovers 0
8 Total Turnovers 11
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 1
10 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 7
10 Fast Break Points 16
42 Points in Paint 56
16 Fouls 16
5 Largest Lead 13
Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Jalen Smith, F Out Feb 11
Tre Jones, G Out Feb 11
Josh Giddey, G Out Feb 11
Isaac Okoro, F Out Feb 11
Zach Collins, F Out Jan 14
Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Myles Turner, C Out Feb 12
Ryan Rollins, G Out Feb 12
Giannis Antetokounmpo, F Out Feb 5
Taurean Prince, F Out Jan 1

Game Information

United Center

Location: Chicago, IL
Attendance: 21,511 · Capacity:

2025-26 Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Detroit 40 13 .755 - W3
Cleveland 34 21 .618 7 W5
Chicago 24 31 .436 17 L6
Milwaukee 23 30 .434 17 W2
Indiana 15 40 .273 26 W2
Full Standings

NBA News

2026 NBA All-Star Weekend takeaways: Dunks, stars and more

2026 NBA All-Star Weekend takeaways: Dunks, stars and more

Our experts break down what to watch over the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend and their picks for contests, competitions and more.

Adam Silver 'paying attention' to tanking teams

Adam Silver 'paying attention' to tanking teams

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addresses the tanking issue in the NBA.

Wemby believes new All-Star game format will increase intensity

Wemby believes new All-Star game format will increase intensity

Victor Wembanyama says the new USA vs. the World All-Star game format has the potential to bring more intensity.

Lillard claims 3rd shootout title; Johnson wins dunk contest

Lillard claims 3rd shootout title; Johnson wins dunk contest

Damian Lillard, nine months after undergoing surgery on his torn Achilles, won his third All-Star 3-point contest to tie with Larry Bird and Craig Hodges for the most ever.