Rose pushes Bulls over Bucks, to 3-0 series lead

[April 24, 2015]  MILWAUKEE -- A former Most Valuable Player, it's no secret that Derrick Rose, despite his recent injury history, is a threat to take over a game at any given time but it's safe to say that nobody expected Rose to do it in the way he did Thursday night.

A 28 percent 3-point shooter during the regular season, Rose knocked down five and finished with 34 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a commanding 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series with a 113-106 double-overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center.

"The way he's playing right now is similar to the way he was playing right before the All-Star Break," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Playing in those five games (at the end of the regular season) was helpful to him and us. Because of the intensity of the playoffs, that's why I thought those five games were important for him. In general, just the play-making and being on the floor, it just opens everything up."

Rose exploded in Game 1 of the series, scoring 23 points in 27 minutes before adding a rather quiet 15 in Game 2 Monday night.

He started somewhat slowly again in Game 3, but had nine in the third quarter then added seven more in the second overtime.

"This is playoff basketball," Rose said. "I'm just trying to push myself. I'm just playing. No expectations, having fun and I love to compete."

His long-distance shooting paced a Bulls offense that hit 14 of 33 attempts from distance. Backup forward Tony Snell hit four off the bench, including two on back-to-back possessions in the fourth that put Chicago up by 11.

But Milwaukee, which led by as many as 18 in the second quarter before the Bulls caught fire, managed to rally late and took a 95-94 lead when shooting guard Khris Middleton, who had eight points in the final 87 seconds of regulation, missed a 27-foot 3-point attempt as time expired.

"I got a good look," Middleton said. "I just missed it."

The Bucks again had a chance to win the game as the final seconds ticked off in the first overtime, but they missed their final three shots, including a 15-footer from shooting guard O.J. Mayo to force a second overtime.

Chicago opened that session on a 13-0 run and Milwaukee missed its first four shots, while turning the ball over three times in the first four minutes.

"Once we got behind, we pressed a little and tried to make something happen," Kidd said. "It was a great learning experience for us; a great chance for us to learn and get better. The energy was great. We have to turn the page, look at the mistakes we made and make sure we don't make them in Game 4."

Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 25 points, but he had just eight in the second half and two overtime sessions.

Point guard Michael Carter-Williams added 19 and Middleton finished with 18 for the Bucks, who shot 42 percent and were just 14 of 25 from the free throw line.

Chicago also got 24 from shooting guard Jimmy Butler, 17 from forward Pau Gasol and 16 off the bench from Snell.

"Defensively we played really well," Gasol said. "We didn't give up open shots. Rebounding we held them to one shot. That was a huge difference in the game. Jimmy got a steal, that kind of helped us a little bit. Derrick got in the lane and knocked in a couple of free throws."

The Bulls can finish off the sweep Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee.

NOTES: Chicago F Nikola Mitotic did not play Thursday because of a left knee injury. His status for Game 4 is still undecided. ... G Kirk Hinrich was listed as "questionable" for the game but played six minutes off the bench and didn't score. ... Entering Thursday's games, Milwaukee led all playoff teams by forcing an average of 17 turnovers per game. The Bucks ranked first in that category (17.38) during the regular season. ... The Bulls won nine of their previous 10 meetings with the Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee snapped a nine-game home losing streak to Chicago with a 95-91 victory on April 1. ... In the first two games of the series, Chicago had assists on 56 of 69 field goals.

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