Brook Lopez scores 28, Bucks beat Bulls to clinch Central

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Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't dominate the way he usually does.

That didn't stop the Bucks from clinching yet another division championship and making it look easy in the process.

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points and Milwaukee overcame a rather quiet performance from Antetokounmpo to secure its fourth straight Central Division title with a 127-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.

The defending NBA champion Bucks haven’t been on a run like this since Don Nelson’s teams won seven consecutive division titles in the 1980s. They took control early and came away with an easy win even though DeMar DeRozan scored 40 for Chicago.

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Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez, right, defends against Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

"You should probably take a quick minute just to appreciate (it)," coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Winning anything in this league is hard. We talk about it all the time in film sessions and practices, how hard it is to win a game. To win a division means something."

Antetokounmpo, trying to overtake LeBron James and Joel Embiid in a tight race for his first scoring title, finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. But the two-time MVP started slow and spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench after picking up his fifth foul.

Lopez had his best performance after missing most of the season because of a back injury. Khris Middleton scored 19 points.

"For me, it's just continuing to find that rhythm and get more in sync with everyone,"