With three games remaining, the Milwaukee Bucks were hoping to extend their winning run to four. However, the Chicago Bulls briefly gave the impression that the new East super club could not possibly get past them. Furthermore, the Bucks appeared to struggle a lot even with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard starting for them.

With nearly all of their key players in the starting lineup, the Bucks were playing at full strength. That cannot be true, though, for the Bulls, who were shorthanded by a few players. However, the Bucks had trouble against a crippled Bulls team. These are the game’s three lessons learned.

1. The Bucks lose to the inexperienced Bulls without Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The last two minutes of the fourth quarter resembled a full-fledged dogfight between the Bucks and the Bulls. Both sides produced clutch play after clutch play, keeping the spectators on the tip of their seats. Fans were surprised to learn, though, that the Bucks were unable to seal the deal in spite of the Bulls starting without two of its All-Star guards and top scorers.

Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan were not in the Bulls’ starting lineup. With an average of more over 20 points per game this season, both players are the Bulls’ top scorers. Nevertheless, the Bucks ultimately perished in front of them.

With a 29-point game, Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls in scoring. In addition, he contributed six assists and ten rebounds. Coby White, who rose to the occasion with 23 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds for the game, also provided a tremendous lift for the club.

Together with three players from the bench, the remaining Bulls starters also concluded the game with double-digit points.

2. Chicago’s No Dame Time

Players have to step up and save the day for their side in the fourth quarter. Sadly, Damian Lillard was unable to perform that when his team most needed him. And during the overtime session, the same thing took place.

Against a Bulls club without its two top scorers on the floor, Lillard had a dull game. With just eighteen points at the end of the game, Lillard shot just 7-16 from the field and 1-6 from beyond the arc. Injury to injury, he committed seven turnovers during the match. And that ultimately overshadowed the 13 assists he was able to rack up in this game. Although he also got five rebounds, two steals, and one block, the club most needed his scoring, which he was unable to deliver.

3. The Bulls showed the league their tenacity and fortitude.

Following a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Alex Caruso to level the game at 106-106, the Chicago Bulls maintained their momentum into overtime, winning 120-113. After the Bulls forced overtime, the Windy City team locked in and continued to put pressure on the Bucks. The Bulls put on a show to prove to the NBA that, despite the absence of their All-Star team, they still had enough talented players to pull off an upset. The squad won the game because of the depth and adaptability of their bench.

In addition, ten Bulls players—eight of them—scored in double figures. However, the Bulls bench proved to be a major asset for the squad in crucial moments. The Bucks suffered their sixth defeat of the year at the hands of Chicago.