Chicago's interior attack kept producing offense even when its outside shooting fell short. After falling behind by 15 in the first quarter, the Bulls answered with 44 points in the second and stayed within one entering the fourth. Milwaukee briefly reclaimed the lead late, but an 8–0 Chicago run in the final 1:16 turned a one-point deficit into a seven-point advantage that held. Norman Powell led the Bulls with 25 points, while Caleb Wilson added 21 and Leonard Miller scored 19 off the bench as Chicago overcame Milwaukee's better overall and three-point shooting.
The biggest reason
Paint Dominance
Points in the paintCHI 62vsMIL 44
Also mattered
5 fewerTurnovers
+39%Free-throw shooting
+5Defensive activity
Game flow
When the lead changed
CHIMIL
CHI's biggest lead was 8 points · MIL's was 15 points · 10 lead changes
Quarter-by-quarter momentum
Quarter winners and scoring margin
Q1Biggest margin
CHI17
MIL32
MIL won by 15
Q2
CHI44
MIL30
CHI won by 14
Q3
CHI41
MIL42
MIL won by 1
Q4
CHI30
MIL21
CHI won by 9
Game turning points
Moments identified from the scoring timeline
Largest deficitQ1 · 3:46
Chicago Bulls trailed by 15 at its deepest point before going on to win.
CHI 11–MIL 26
Final lead changeQ4 · 1:16
Chicago Bulls went ahead and did not trail again.
CHI 124–MIL 123
Momentum swings
Key runs
5 runs · 7+ unanswered points
Q1 · 11:21–10:17
Milwaukee Bucks7–0run
CHI 2 – MIL 0→CHI 2 – MIL 7
Q1 · 8:14–7:03
Milwaukee Bucks8–0run
CHI 6 – MIL 11→CHI 6 – MIL 19
Q2 · 5:44–2:38Largest run
Chicago Bulls16–0run
CHI 39 – MIL 51→CHI 55 – MIL 51
Q4 · 4:26–3:45
Milwaukee Bucks8–0run
CHI 118 – MIL 113→CHI 118 – MIL 121
Q4 · 1:16–9.9
Chicago Bulls8–0run
CHI 122 – MIL 123→CHI 130 – MIL 123
Players who shaped the game
Player impact
From the box score
Chicago Bulls
CHI
Leading scorerNorman Powell
25PTS4REB1AST0STL0BLK
Impact contributorJalen Smith
14PTS13REB1AST3STL0BLK
Impact contributorCaleb Wilson
21PTS6REB1AST1STL2BLK
Milwaukee Bucks
MIL
Leading scorerTyler Herro
34PTS5REB4AST1STL0BLK
Impact contributorJaime Jaquez Jr.
19PTS11REB5AST0STL0BLK
Impact contributorRyan Rollins
11PTS7REB6AST1STL1BLK
Team performance
Biggest advantages and setbacks
What the winner did best—and what it overcame
Advantages
Free-throw shootingWinner edge
Chicago Bulls had a 39 percentage points edge in free-throw shooting.
CHI 93%MIL 54%
StealsWinner edge
Chicago Bulls had a 5 edge in steals.
CHI 10MIL 5
Points in the paintWinner edge
Chicago Bulls had a 18 edge in points in the paint.
CHI 62MIL 44
Setbacks
Three-point shootingOpponent edge
Chicago Bulls trailed in three-point shooting by 14 percentage points.
CHI 27%MIL 41%
The numbers behind the win
Evidence
5 signals
Paint scoring
Chicago created its clearest scoring advantage inside despite Milwaukee shooting more efficiently overall.
CHI62
MIL44
Turnover control
The Bulls gave away five fewer possessions, an important edge in a game that remained close into the final minutes.
CHI14
MIL19
Free-throw shooting
Chicago converted its opportunities at the line far more efficiently, helping it close the game despite Milwaukee's stronger shooting from the field.
CHI93%
MIL54%
Defensive activity
Chicago recorded twice as many steals, including two Milwaukee turnovers during the decisive late stretch.
CHI10
MIL5
Editorial turning point
8-0 CHI run from 1:16 to 9.9 of Q4
Chicago turned a one-point deficit into a seven-point lead, and Milwaukee never regained the advantage.
This game’s Winning DNA
How Chicago Bulls got it done.
The winning formula behind this game.
Chicago Bulls
Paint Dominance
40%
Turnovers
25%
Clutch Execution
20%
Defense
15%
Editorial weights for this game — not fan-vote percentages or official NBA statistics.
Team Comparison
Chicago Bulls132 PTSVSFiserv ForumMilwaukee Bucks125 PTS
46-98
FG
46-92
12-45
3PT
19-46
28-30
FT
14-26
44
REB
44
29
AST
29
10
STL
5
6
BLK
6
14
TO
19
The Debate
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