Asked before tipoff who would draw the NBA’s toughest defensive assignment, coach Fred Hoiberg paused.

“Well,” he said, “probably all five of our guys.”

At times the Bulls actually needed six to contain the 6-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks big man entered the game with MVP numbers — 29.9 points (54.6 percent shooting), 10.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists — and did not disappoint Friday night at Bradley Center, finishing with 29 points, 16 rebounds and four assists.

But it was not enough against a Bulls team that emerged with a 115-109 victory. That’s five straight after 10 consecutive losses for a team that many figured would finish with the NBA’s worst record.

“We knew this would be a physical, tough game against a hard-nosed, blue-collar team that has one of the best, if not the best, players in the game right now,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “This was a really good, gritty win. I saw a lot of growth in our guys. To have three or four guys with blood on our uniform, I love it.”

Nikola Mirotic has said repeatedly that since his return he has been the difference in the Bulls’ remarkable run following a 3-20 start. He was not at his best Friday, going scoreless in the first quarter.

But he drained a 3-pointer off a perfect feed from Kris Dunn to give the Bulls a 109-104 lead with 2 minutes, 42 seconds to play. And he made a shot with a far higher degree of difficulty after that — an off-balance, high-off-the-glass awkward layup while getting fouled.

And when he wasn’t making baskets, his bestest buddy was. Bobby Portis scored a career-high 27 points, making 9 of 16 from the field. He also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.

“I thought Bobby was the difference in getting that game turned around,” Hoiberg said. “We did not come out sharp, but I give our guys credit. We were jumping them in the huddle and they responded in a big way.”

Mirotic finished with 22 points and remained bold. Asked for a prediction, he replied: “Yeah, 6-0. After Monday, 6-0.”

Antetokounmpo was sensational for the Bucks, but the Bulls limited him to four points in the final quarter. Credit David Nwaba, whom Hoiberg inserted as a second-half starter over Denzel Valentine.

“We felt David gave us our best opportunity to stay in front of him and make it hard,” Hoiberg said. “David will go out there and take a challenge — every time. He won’t back down from anybody.”

Nwaba gave up seven inches to Antetokounmpo but said that was OK.

“He’s a tough guard, an All-Star, a great player,” Nwaba said. “I did the best I can.”

After Antetokounmpo drove on Nwaba in transition in the fourth quarter, hitting the layup and getting fouled, the Bradley Center crowd broke out in chants of “MVP!” “MVP!”

But that same crowd left with long faces after another Bulls victory.

“I’m proud of the team,” Mirotic said. “We are finding ways to finish games. We are finding the right guy at the right moment and sharing that ball. We are enjoying our game right now.”

Asked what his team can accomplish going forward, Hoiberg replied: “The biggest thing is, we keep getting better. That’s all we want to accomplish now.”

tgreenstein@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @TeddyGreenstein

Photos from the Bulls-Bucks game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Dec. 15, 2017.

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