Login

October 15, 2026 at 4:41 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Bulls Run Past Depleted Bucks 125-104 in Preseason Road Finale

Chicago closed its preseason road schedule with a 21-point win in Milwaukee, where the Bucks leaned on young players and the Bulls shot well without their bigger bodies.

Milwaukee Bucks-Chicago Bulls Preview: Injuries, Odds, Lineups & How to Watch — Sports Illustrated
Milwaukee Bucks-Chicago Bulls Preview: Injuries, Odds, Lineups & How to Watch — Sports Illustrated

The Bulls finished their preseason road schedule Wednesday night in Milwaukee with a 125-104 win over a Bucks team that was not trying to win in any serious way. Chicago will see Milwaukee four more times when the games count, and none of those will look like this one. The Bulls led comfortably and were never pressed.

Milwaukee sat a long list of regulars, which turned the night into an audition for the young players under new coach Taylor Jenkins. Kasparas Jakucionis started and scored 18 with six assists in 20 minutes. Ousmane Dieng had a double-double, 10 points and 11 rebounds with four assists. Kam Jones led the Bucks with 23 off the bench, and Brayden Burries played a team-high 29 minutes and scored 19. The Bucks never got closer than the score suggests, and the lineups looked like experiments.

Chicago has been shaky on defense all preseason, and it did so again without Nic Claxton or Zach Collins, both in street clothes, so the Bulls had little rim protection. Jalen Smith started and finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. The offense carried the night in the way it did in the 133-128 loss to Denver, with the young group pushing the pace and passing. Josh Giddey had nine assists and Tre Jones seven. Matas Buzelis scored 19 in 24 minutes, and Leonard Miller added 18 and seven rebounds in 19. No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson started and had 10 points and four rebounds.

Both teams are expected to be near the bottom of the East. The Bucks are rebuilding after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Bulls are working under a new staff and front office. Milwaukee won three of four against Chicago last season and is 81-55 at home all-time in the series, which is 137-138 overall. This one, with so many Bucks starters out, will not change much of that.

Sources

All game reports