Bucks rout Bulls 123-104 to continue hot start to NBA season

The Milwaukee Bucks got 25 points from point guard Eric Bledsoe in a 123-104 victory over the rebuilding Chicago Bulls and now are just a half-game out of first place in the NBA ‘s Eastern Conference.

Friday night’s contest at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee was a story of two halves, with the visiting Bulls jumping out to a 63-45 lead at the intermission and the Bucks scoring a whopping 78 points over the final two quarters.

Bledsoe accounted for 14 of his team’s 46 points in the third quarter, when the Bucks (11-4) turned an 18-point deficit into an 11-point lead.

Reserve guard Tony Snell was a key figure for Milwaukee in the fourth quarter, scoring nine of his 11 points in the game’s final 12 minutes to help extend the Bucks’ advantage.

Superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Milwaukee, while small forward Khris Middleton pitched in with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Jabari Parker scored a team-high 21 points for the Bulls (4-12), who lost their third straight game.

The Bucks now are just a half-game behind the Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors (12-4), who lost their third straight game in a 123-116 overtime defeat Friday night to the Boston Celtics .