The Chicago Bulls finally found their breakthrough, and did it in stunning fashion.
Josh Giddey recorded 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season, powering Chicago to a 120-97 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. The victory snapped an 11-game losing streak and featured a jaw-dropping 27-0 run that completely flipped the game.
Giddey notched his 15th triple-double as a Bull, tying franchise legend Scottie Pippen for second-most in team history.
After going winless in February (0-11) and matching the third-longest skid in franchise history, Chicago delivered its most complete performance in weeks. Collin Sexton scored 22 points and Matas Buzelis added 20, helping the Bulls secure their first win since Jan. 31 at Miami.
Milwaukee appeared in control early. The Bucks used a 17-0 surge in the second quarter to build a 16-point lead and carried a 66-51 advantage into halftime. Bobby Portis led Milwaukee with 18 points, but the offense collapsed late.
The turning point came late in the third quarter with Chicago trailing 89-81. Tre Jones made two free throws to spark what became a decisive 27-0 run spanning into the fourth. Buzelis opened the final period with a tying floater, and Sexton followed with a pull-up jumper less than a minute in to give Chicago a 91-89 lead — its first since early in the game.
From there, the Bucks unraveled. Milwaukee went roughly 7½ minutes without scoring and missed 17 consecutive shots during the decisive stretch. Kevin Porter Jr. briefly stopped the drought with two free throws at the 5:51 mark, and Ousmane Dieng eventually ended the field-goal drought with 3:12 remaining, but the outcome was already sealed.
The Bucks were again without star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed his 15th straight game due to a strained right calf. The two-time MVP has not played since Jan. 23.
Adding to the atmosphere, Ben Johnson, head coach of the Chicago Bears, received a warm ovation when shown on the videoboard while sitting in a suite alongside Pippen. Johnson even playfully pretended to rip off his shirt — a nod to his viral locker-room celebration after a win in Philadelphia — drawing cheers from the crowd.
Up next: Milwaukee returns home to host the Boston Celtics on Monday night, while Chicago stays home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
