Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks: A History of the Midwest Rivalry

When Do the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls Play Next?

Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls tickets can be found on their respective team pages, along with schedule information.

Are the Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls Rivals?

The Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls have been battling each other since 1968, when the Bucks became an NBA franchise. The Bulls were the Bucks’ opponents in their first-ever regular season game. Both teams have had dominant stretches, with the Bulls’ championship runs through the 1990s and the Bucks’ current run with five consecutive Eastern Conference Central Division titles. The teams have met 286 times and split them evenly, with 143 wins apiece. The two teams’ arenas are less than 100 miles away from each other, making them geographic rivals.

Who Are the Milwaukee Bucks’ Biggest Rivals?

It’s hard to argue that the Bucks have a bigger rival than the Bulls. Not many series have been as even as theirs in NBA history. The teams have met five times in the playoffs, four times in the Eastern Conference first round, and once in the Western Conference finals. The Bucks have won three of the five playoff series, including in 2023 with a four-games-to-one victory. The Bucks have also had playoff battles with the Philadelphia 76ers, meeting six times in seven years from 1980–1987.

Who Are the Chicago Bulls’ Biggest Rivals?

The Chicago Bulls have a storied rivalry with the New York Knicks that includes many fierce playoff series between 1989 and 1996, the last time the teams met in the postseason. The Bulls have won six of the seven playoff series against the Knicks. The Bulls also have a rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Michael Jordan’s “The Shot” over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 playoffs ended one of the best seasons in Cleveland’s history. The Bulls and Detroit Pistons have plenty of bad blood as well, sparked from the late 1980s “Bad Boys” Pistons’ physical playoff matchups with the upstart Bulls at the time.

Game Results Between the Bucks and Bulls

The Bucks and Bulls will face each other four times this season, with the first coming in Milwaukee on November 13. The final regular season matchup will take place in Chicago on March 1, 2024. Check out a table of recent head-to-head matchups between the Bucks and Bulls below.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls History

The Bulls were the first team the Bucks ever played back in 1968. Back then, both were in the Western Conference. The teams met for the first time in the playoffs in 1974 in the Western Conference Finals. The Bucks won the series, four games to none, but ultimately lost the NBA championship to the Boston Celtics. The teams didn’t meet in the playoffs again until 1985, when they were both in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks won that first-round series three games to one.

Chicago got revenge in the 1990 first round, beating the Bucks three games to one. The two teams didn’t see each other again until 2015, which resulted in a 4-2 series win for the Bulls. But in the 2022 season, the Bucks defeated the Bulls, 4-1, to knock them out.

The Bulls have beaten the Bucks more times in the regular season, 134 to 129. But the Bucks have won more playoff games against their rival, 14 to nine, to even up the all-time series heading into 2023.

Where Do the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls Play?

The Milwaukee Bucks play at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fiserv Forum hosts concerts, entertainment acts, and basketball games for the Bucks and Marquette University.

The Chicago Bulls play at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. United Center is home to the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks as well.