CHICAGO _ The Milwaukee Bucks opened the Joe Prunty era with a pair of wins last week at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, including a rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. They took their show on the road Sunday, a short drive down I-94, for a contest against the Chicago Bulls, an opponent that claimed both meetings in Milwaukee last month.
They may have been playing in a different venue and debuting new cream-colored jerseys, but the Bucks looked every bit as dominant as they did on Friday in a 110-96 victory at the United Center. The win pushed Milwaukee to 3-0 since interim head coach Joe Prunty took over following the firing of Jason Kidd.
"We knew they beat us twice at home _ that was embarrassing to us," said Khris Middleton, who had 20 points in the win. "So, it was a little bit of a revenge game for us."
Both teams got out to a relatively slow start for the matinee game before Jason Terry gave the Bucks a lift that signaled the beginning of a one-sided contest. After making a 3-pointer late in the first quarter, the 40-year-old added two more on back-to-back possessions early in the second to give the Bucks a 12-point lead.
Terry went on to make 4-of-6 3-pointers for a season-high 12 points. Before Sunday, Terry was 2-of-18 on 3-pointers and had just 20 points this season.
"Yeah, he changed the game," Middleton said. "I mean, he really took a lot of their zip or energy out of the game with those threes in that first half."
From there, the Bucks started to get rolling. They pushed their lead to 20 before halftime and led 61-42 at the break on the strength of 21 assists and 10-of-16 shooting from long range combined with nine steals at the other end.
Milwaukee's defense appeared to include less blitzing and trapping, with those things being replaced by confident switches and good communication. That style combined with strong efforts in the court didn't leave many options open for the Bulls, who shot 41.4 percent from the field and committed 16 turnovers while playing their fourth straight game without point guard Kris Dunn (concussion).
"I think one of the biggest things was there was a lot of communication," Prunty said of the defense. "That's one of the big key components to all of it is making sure that you're talking to your teammates and getting them to the right spots."
Milwaukee's lead was never challenged in the second half, thanks in large part to Giannis Antetokounmpo bouncing back from a slow start. The 23-year-old Bucks star opened the game 0-for-5 from the field before collecting eight points by the end of the first half.
He turned up the intensity in the second half, throwing down multiple dunks and deflating the Bulls with smooth midrange jumpers on the way to 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in 34 minutes. Following that slow offensive start, he made 11 of his final 14 attempts.
"I've started slow in the past in my career but I'm a little bit more mature now," Antetokounmpo said. "It doesn't really matter what I do, I still got to stay aggressive and I know the ball is going to find me and I've just got to be ready to knock down the shots that are going to come."
During their three-game win streak, the Bucks haven't just gotten a new coach, they also seem to have a different energy about them. They've simultaneously played hard while having fun, which Middleton believes is a reflection of what Prunty brings.
"Right now, you can tell guys are a little bit looser," Middleton said. "With Joe, he preaches confidence. His plays are designed for us to move the ball side to side more. And just, not necessarily just playing off one matchup, but trying to use the matchup as a decoy to get other guys shots. ...
"Teams usually take on the personality of the coach. With Joe, he's a lot more relaxed, much more of a pick-a-guy-up type of guy and you kind of see that with the guys out here."
