Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks | Friday, October 23, 2026 | 3:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM ET | Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee | CHSN, WCGV, Bucks+
I’ll start with a number I’d prefer to forget: 43. That’s the margin of the Bulls’ 135-92 loss to Toronto on opening night, the biggest season-opening defeat in franchise history. I had picked the Raptors to win 116-109, so I got the side right and missed the scale of it by about 35 points.
The good news is that there’s a game in less than a day. The even better news is that it’s a 3 PM tip in Milwaukee, which the Bucks moved up from the evening so fans could get to Game 1 of the Brewers’ World Series that night.
Game Info: Bulls at Bucks
- Date: Friday, October 23, 2026
- Tip-off: 3:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM ET (moved up from the original evening start because of the Brewers’ World Series opener)
- Venue: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
- TV: WCGV, Bucks+, CHSN and the CHSN app
- Records: Both teams are 0-1
- Odds: Bucks -1.5, total around 238.5. One model projected the Under and a Bucks win. Lines move after injury news
What Went Wrong in Toronto
The box score tells the story: 27 turnovers (11 in the first half), 4-for-36 from three, and nobody near seven feet tall on the floor with Nic Claxton out. Caleb Wilson had nine of those turnovers in his NBA debut. He finished with 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting and went 1-of-8 from three. Josh Giddey had two points on 1-of-10 and five turnovers.
There were positives. Matas Buzelis scored 17 and made 13 of 16 free throws. Jalen Smith had 15 points and eight rebounds in place of Claxton, Norman Powell scored 15 in his Bulls debut and Tre Jones had 13. Kawhi Leonard, Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes all scored 23 for Toronto.
The Bulls’ next game is the home opener on Saturday against Washington, so this is a back-to-back, and the schedule has them on the road for six of their first eight.
The Bulls’ Injury Report
- Out: Nic Claxton (hamstring).
- Day-to-day (illness): Jordan Hawkins and Dailyn Swain.
Zach Collins was supposed to be close to a return, and Tobe Awaka and Isaac Okoro were out with knee injuries before the opener. I couldn’t confirm their status for Friday, so check the final report.
The Bucks: Jenkins’ Debut Was Rough
Milwaukee lost its opener to Washington 128-116, in Taylor Jenkins’ first game as coach. Milwaukee led for much of the night, then got outscored 77-60 in the second half as Washington shot 63% after halftime. Anthony Davis scored 34 with 12 rebounds in his Wizards debut, and Trae Young had 20 points and 13 assists.
- Tyler Herro had 24 points.
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 22.
- Injuries: No Bucks injuries were listed in the reports I found.
That is a different Bucks roster than the one that sat Herro, Myles Turner, Jaquez and Gary Trent Jr. when we beat them 125-104 in the preseason. Milwaukee has Herro and Jaquez scoring, but it also let Washington shoot 63% in the second half.
The Matchups That Matter
Chicago’s guards against Milwaukee’s perimeter. Giddey and Wilson committed 14 of 27 turnovers. Splitter has been talking about ball security all fall, and this is a game where it matters.
Rebounding and size. The Bulls are without Claxton again. Smith did a decent job in Toronto, but Milwaukee has Myles Turner and Kel’el Ware to test him.
Pace. Splitter wants Chicago to run. Milwaukee allowed Washington to shoot 63% in the second half, so there’s an opening if the Bulls get stops.
Three-point variance. The Bulls went 4-for-36 in Toronto and 20-for-50 in Milwaukee in the preseason. Neither number is real.
The schedule. This is the first game of a back-to-back, with the home opener against Washington on Saturday, so depth and energy could matter.
What Actually Decides It
The Bulls can’t be as bad as they looked on Wednesday. Toronto is one of the better teams in the East, and the roster doesn’t have anything close to its depth. Milwaukee, by contrast, is a team in transition with real flaws. The line makes it nearly a pick’em, and I think that’s fair.
I’d like to say Chicago responds. But Milwaukee is at home, the Bulls are short on size, and the turnovers have to disappear for this to be close. I’ll take the Bucks by a handful and hope Wilson and Giddey have bounce-back games.
My Final Score Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks 120, Chicago Bulls 112
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