Antetokounmpo, Portis double-doubles lead Bucks to 118-109 victory over Bulls

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points and 11 rebounds, and Bobby Portis added 19 points and 10 rebounds, both season highs, as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Chicago Bulls 118-109 on Monday night.

Milwaukee's Damian Lillard returned to action after missing two games due to a calf injury, but he shot just 3 of 17 while scoring 12 points. The Bucks dropped both games without the seven-time all-NBA guard.

The Bulls were playing the second game of a back-to-back after defeating the Detroit Pistons 119-108 at home on Sunday.

Khris Middleton scored 13 points, passing Michael Redd for fifth place on the Bucks' career scoring list.

Middleton has 11,559 points in his Bucks career, while Redd had 11,554 in his Bucks career. Antetokounmpo (16,575), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14,211), Glen Robinson (12,010), and Sidney Moncrief (11,594) are the Bucks' top four scorers.

Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Zach LaVine had 20 points, Coby White had 16, Patrick Williams had 13, and DeMar DeRozan had 11. DeRozan only made 3 of 14 shots.

Milwaukee scored the game's first nine points and outscored Chicago 35-18 in the first period, which ended with Antetokounmpo's 500th career 3-pointer. Chicago failed to convert 16 of its first 19 field-goal attempts.

The Bulls chipped away at the 17-point deficit, eventually taking the lead on an Andre Drummond putback with 5:15 remaining in the third. Over the next minute or so, the lead changed hands three more times, with a Portis basket putting Milwaukee back ahead for good.

Portis' basket sparked a 12-0 run for the Bucks, who regained a double-digit lead at 81-70. The Bucks entered the fourth quarter with an 83-74 lead and didn't let it drop below eight points the rest of the way.

The Bulls only shot 38%.

Chicago was without Alex Caruso for the second game in a row due to a toe injury. The Bucks were playing their first game without Jae Crowder, who is set to have surgery on Tuesday for an adductor and abdominal tear that will keep him out for about two months.

SportsLigue