Mike Budenholzer isn’t big into social media.
Not in the slightest.
The Bucks coach admittedly doesn’t even really get caught up in NBA rumors and chatter outside of his own locker room.
So when Budenholzer was asked on Friday about the comments from new Bull Tristan Thompson concerning the Alex Caruso-Grayson Allen incident, of course he had a puzzled look on his face.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Budenholzer said. “It didn’t register with me.”
The way Budenholzer and the Bucks were viewing their first visit to the United Center this season? It wasn’t about tough talk. It was a business trip.
And in the final few minutes against the Bulls, business was good for the defending champions.
Thanks to Jrue Holiday’s late-game heroics on both ends of the floor, the Bulls dropped to 1-4 since the All-Star Break, losing to Milwaukee 118-112.
Not only was it a fourth-straight loss, but dropped the Bulls (39-25) to fourth in the Eastern Conference behind Miami, Philadelphia and the Bucks. Three teams the Bulls are yet to beat this season, sitting a combined 0-8 against them.
“I thought we really competed and were physical, tried to match [what they do] as well as we could,” coach Billy Donovan said of the loss. “It’s a starting point.”
As far as any carryover from Allen’s flagrant-2 that still has Caruso sidelined with a broken right wrist, Derrick Jones Jr. did put an elbow in Allen’s head on a drive to the basket that earned him a flagrant foul, but it wasn’t the “chippy” octagon that Thompson was talking about 24 hours earlier.
“Sh–, you take out one of my dogs like that we’re going to have issues,” Thompson said Thursday, after the loss in Atlanta when asked about what Allen did to Caruso. “What [Allen] did affected one of our guys and I don’t think anyone should forget about that. … if guys want to play chippy let’s play chippy. I like a little blood and sweat. I enjoy it.”
The problem was so does Milwaukee. As Donovan pointed out, the Bucks play physical without fouling. The Bulls? There’s a reason Milwaukee went to the free throw line 33 times, while the Bulls had just 11.
“Our inability to get stops and play against a set defense, and then the fouling,” Donovan said of the latest letdown. “If someone takes that many more free throws than you do it’s hard to stay in the game.”
The Bulls’ agenda right from the tip-off appeared to be doing all they could in beating Milwaukee rather than exacting revenge on Allen.
Sure, the fan base wanted the former Duke standout to hear the boos anytime his name was called or he touched the basketball, but the players were just looking to change the narrative that they can’t beat the league’s perceived top teams.
Midway through the third and into the fourth it looked like they would, especially after one of the more vicious dunks of the season, as Jones went over and through Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“I’m not even going to lie, honestly I don’t think anyone can jump with me in the world,” Jones said of the slam.
He then claimed he’s had better.
Just when the UC was in a frenzy, however, Holiday took over. Not only did the versatile guard do a great job of shutting down DeMar DeRozan in the fourth quarter – DeRozan was just 2-for-9 – but he also scored 16 points.
The Bulls still have two more meetings with Milwaukee and Allen, but it sounded like it was done as far as Jones was concerned.
“I’m not a dirty player,” Jones said. “What happened in Milwaukee, we didn’t like it, but I’m not going to go out there and try and take a man out.”