MILWAUKEE — Kyle Kuzma matched a season high with 31 points and the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a five-game skid, beating the Chicago Bulls 131-115 in a meeting of short-handed teams Tuesday night.
The Bucks were missing its top two scorers because of injury, while the Bulls traded away three players earlier in the day.
The Bulls sent Kevin Huerter and Dario Šarić to Detroit as part of a three-team deal in which they acquired Mike Conley Jr. from Minnesota and Jaden Ivey from the Pistons. They also traded Nikola Vučević and a second-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics for Anfernee Simons and a second-round draft selection.
The Bulls were missing leading scorer Josh Giddey because of a strained left hamstring.
The Bucks again were without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who suffered a strained right calf on Jan. 23. Antetokounmpo was on the court taking shots and working out before the game.
The Bucks improved to 4-15 without Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks also didn’t have Kevin Porter Jr. (oblique strain), Bobby Portis (hip bruise) and Gary Harris (left hamstring strain). Coach Doc Rivers said before the game that Porter could return Wednesday or Friday.
Ryan Rollins had 21 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Bucks. Kuzma had 10 rebounds and six assists. The Bucks made a season-high 23 3-pointers and shot 60.5% from beyond the arc.
The Bulls’ Matas Buzelis scored 22 points. Coby White had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Two nights after scoring their fewest points of the season in a 107-79 loss in Boston, the Bucks nearly equaled that output by halftime, leading 77-52 at the break. That was the their highest first-half point total of the season.
The Bulls cut their deficit to 90-84 late in the third quarter but couldn’t get any closer.
Up next
- Bulls: Visit Toronto on Thursday.
- Bucks: Host New Orleans on Wednesday.
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