|
 They were also keenly aware that the Bulls had dominated their
intra-divisional series of late, having won six in a row overall and
the last nine meetings at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
But playing in their home building against a surprisingly
pro-Chicago crowd, the Bucks showed they could be a formidable foe
come playoff time, rallying late in the fourth quarter for a 95-91
victory Wednesday night.
"We've got to be ready for anything," said Bucks forward John
Henson. "I'm glad we got the win tonight."
Point guard Michael Carter-Williams led the way for Milwaukee with
21 points on 9 of 19 shooting. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for his
first double-double since joining the Bucks on Feb. 19 and added a
pair of assists in 33 minutes of work.
Carter-Williams took over in the second, hitting 7 of 11 from the
field for 15 points as the Bucks erased a nine-point deficit and
went into the locker room tied at 48 thanks to a last-second tip-in
from center Zaza Pachulia.
Milwaukee was only shooting 40 percent at that point and had given
the ball up 10 times. The Bucks went even colder in the third,
hitting just 7 of 22 shots, but made 3-of-4 3-pointers and forced
the Bulls into seven turnovers to go into the fourth down just four.
That's when the Bucks defense took over and held Chicago to 33
percent shooting. The Bulls missed all 11 of its 3-point attempts,
including two that would have tied the game in the final minute.
"For us, defense comes first," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "I
thought we limited them to a shot and we played at our pace on
offense, that was big."
The Bucks, meanwhile, caught fire. They shot 55 percent and while
they only made one shot from beyond the arc, it couldn't have come
at a better time.
Chicago had gone back out on a layup by swingman Jimmy Butler that
made it an 84-81 game with 5:40 to play. On Milwaukee's next
possession, guard O.J. Mayo found Khris Middleton open for a
game-tying 3-ball.
Middleton scored four of Milwaukee's next six points to put the
Bucks ahead for good and Mayo made it a four-point play on a
17-footer with 2:56 remaining.
Bulls center Paul Gasol knocked down two free throws to get within
one but Ilyasova put Milwaukee back up three by tipping in
Carter-Williams' blocked shot with 1:07 left.
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Ilyasova finished with 16 while Mayo, in his best game since
returning from a hamstring injury, hit three from distance and
finished with 13 points and three assists.
"Defensively, we were really solid," Mayo said. "Everyone made a key
play down the stretch, whether it was a rebound, a shot or creating
a shot for someone else. A great team win against a great team."
In addition to its lengthy streak at Milwaukee, the Bulls came into
the game having won five of their last six games overall. But along
with shooting struggles (42 percent from the field, 5-of-26 from
beyond the arc), the Bulls were outrebounded 48-40 and dominated on
the offensive glass, 20-12, while committing 22 turnovers that
Milwaukee converted into 19 points.
"They crushed us on the boards," Thibodeau said. "The second shot
hurt us, the turnovers hurt us. We played the fourth quarter
poorly."
Butler scored 25 to lead the Bulls, who also got 14 from forward Pau
Gasol and 12 from forward Taj Gibson.
"It was a bad loss," center Joacim Noah said. "I just saw a team
that played hungrier than us tonight."
NOTES: PG Michael Carter-Williams has struggled at times since
joining the Bucks in a three-team trade on Feb. 19. He was averaging
15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 41 games with
Philadelphia but just 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists with
the Bucks. ... The Bulls began Wednesday in third place in the
Eastern Conference with a 45-29 record and the Bucks (36-38) were in
sixth. ... Bucks G Jared Dudley was available Wednesday night. He
has missed seven of Milwaukee's last nine games, including a 101-88
loss Monday at Atlanta, because of back problems.
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