Antetokounmpo scores 41 points as Bucks beat Bulls 122-106 for 4th win in 5 games

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 41 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 122-106 on Wednesday night.

Brook Lopez scored 21 points, Damian Lillard had 20 points and 10 assists, and AJ Green added 18 points to help the Bucks win for the fourth time in five games following a 2-8 start.

Zach Lavine scored 27 points to lead Chicago. Torrey Craig added 15, while Nikola Vucevic and Coby White had 14 each.

The Bucks led by 18 and seemed to be in control after a 16-0 run from the end of the first quarter and into the second, but the Bulls chipped away and pulled within one point in the third. The score remained close until midway through the fourth when the Bucks once again pulled away with Antetokounmpo dominating inside.

The Bucks held a 54-34 advantage in the paint.

Bulls: Lavine had 20 points in the first half, the only Chicago player in double figures to that point. However, he was held to seven points in the second half.

Bucks: After being held to 13 points in the first half, Antetokounmpo scored 25 of Milwaukee’s 29 points in the third quarter. Lopez scored 20 or more points for the third time in four games.

Green swished a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, his fifth of the game, from the corner with 6:49 left in the game to push the Bucks' lead to seven. Lillard and Lopez followed with 3s of their own to extend the Bucks' lead to 13.

The Bucks' bench players outscored the Bulls' reserves 23-7 in the first half. Green set the pace from the start with 11 points in the first quarter.

Bulls host Atlanta on Friday, and Bucks host Indiana.

------

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Chicago Bulls' Josh Giddey drives past Milwaukee Bucks' AJ Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Chicago Bulls' Josh Giddey drives past Milwaukee Bucks' Gary Trent Jr. during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Chicago Bulls' Ayo Dosunmu tries to get by Milwaukee Bucks' AJ Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Bobby Portis reacts to his three pointer during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucevic tries to get past Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks past Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine and Coby White during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee. Tyhe Bucks won 122-106. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard tries to get past Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucevic during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee. Tyhe Bucks won 122-106. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks over Chicago Bulls' Coby White during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee. Tyhe Bucks won 122-106. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo drives on Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucevic during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee. Tyhe Bucks won 122-106. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s communications minister introduced a world-first law into Parliament on Thursday that would ban children younger than 16 from social media, saying online safety was one of parents’ toughest challenges.

Michelle Rowland said TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram were among the platforms that would face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.

“This bill seeks to set a new normative value in society that accessing social media is not the defining feature of growing up in Australia,” Rowland told Parliament.

“There is wide acknowledgement that something must be done in the immediate term to help prevent young teens and children from being exposed to streams of content unfiltered and infinite,” she added.

The bill has wide political support. After it becomes law, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the age restriction.

“For too many young Australians, social media can be harmful. Almost two-thirds of 14- to 17-years-old Australians have viewed extremely harmful content online including drug abuse, suicide or self-harm as well as violent material. One quarter have been exposed to content promoting unsafe eating habits,” Rowland said.

Government research found that “95% of Australian care-givers find online safety to be one of their toughest parenting challenges,” she said.

Social media had a social responsibility and could do better in addressing harms on their platforms, she said.

“This is about protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them, and letting parents know that we’re in their corner when it comes to supporting their children’s health and wellbeing,” Rowland said.

Child welfare and internet experts have raised concerns about the ban, including isolating 14- and 15-year-olds from their already established online social networks.

Rowland said there would not be age restrictions placed on messaging services, online games or platforms that substantially support the health and education of users.

“We are not saying risks don’t exist on messaging apps or online gaming. While users can still be exposed to harmful content by other users, they do not face the same algorithmic curation of content and psychological manipulation to encourage near-endless engagement,” Rowland said.

The government announced last week that a consortium led by British company Age Check Certification Scheme has been contracted to examine various technologies to estimate and verify ages.

In addition to removing children under 16 from social media, Australia is also looking for ways to prevent children under 18 from accessing online pornography, a government statement said.

Age Check Certification Scheme’s chief executive Tony Allen said Monday the technologies being considered included age estimation and age inference. Inference involves establishing a series of facts about individuals that point to them being at least a certain age.

Rowland said the platforms would also face fines of up to AU$50 million ($33 million) if they misused personal information of users gained for age-assurance purposes.

Information used for age assurances must be destroyed after serving that purpose unless the user consents to it being kept, she said.

Digital Industry Group Inc., an advocate for the digital industry in Australia, said with Parliament expected to vote on the bill next week, there might not be time for “meaningful consultation on the details of the globally unprecedented legislation.”

"Mainstream digital platforms have strict measures in place to keep young people safe, and a ban could push young people on to darker, less safe online spaces that don't have safety guardrails," DIGI managing director Sunita Bose said in a statement.

“A blunt ban doesn't encourage companies to continually improve safety because the focus is on keeping teenagers off the service, rather than keeping them safe when they're on it,” Bose added.

Australia's Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland, introduces the Online Safety Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)/AAP Image via AP)

A teenager uses his mobile phone to access social media, Sydney, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Dean Lewins/AAP Image VIA AP)

Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland speaks during House of Representatives Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, Nov.18, 2024. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP)