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Bucks beat Bulls, extend series

Apr 28, 2015 - 11:31 AM Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Bucks won't stop here.

Michael Carter-Williams scored eight of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and Milwaukee staved off elimination yet again with a 94-88 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

Carter-Williams battled through an ankle injury and shot 10-of-15 from the field while adding nine assists and eight rebounds for the Bucks, who needed a buzzer-beating Jerryd Bayless layup to save their season in Game 4.

The young upstarts were much more convincing on Monday, leading the entire second half and making the United Center crowd a non-factor most of the night.

"(The team) worked their tails off and put themselves in position to make this a series," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "No one had us in this position. We just go out and play basketball."

Khris Middleton finished with 21 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in with 11, and John Henson pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds in addition to key baskets and defense down the stretch.

The Bulls committed 13 turnovers -- 15 fewer than their mistake-filled attempt at a sweep on Saturday -- but they shot just 7-of-30 (23.3 percent) from the field in the fourth quarter and 34.4 percent overall.

Derrick Rose struggled in particular with just 13 points on 5-of-20 shooting, while Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler both contributed double-doubles for a combined 45 points and 20 boards.

The series shifts back to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Thursday.

Middleton and Carter-Williams carried the Bucks' offense in the first half as they totaled 29 points, and when Carter-Williams went down with an ankle sprain early in the third quarter, Milwaukee's bit players got in on the act.

Antetokounmpo converted a three-point play off an offensive rebound, and Zaza Pachulia added another one with a circus shot over Butler to spark a 12-4 run that gave the Bucks their largest lead.

The Bulls trailed by nine, 67-58, following an Ersan Ilyasova 3-pointer, but they stayed relatively close by making eight free throws over the final four minutes of the third.

Carter-Williams returned from getting taped up in the locker room and opened the fourth with a couple of buckets that gave Milwaukee an 80-72 advantage.

It was a nine-point game before two long jumpers from Rose and another from Gasol cut the Bulls' deficit to 86-83 with under five minutes remaining.

That was as close as they got.

Carter-Williams banked in a jumper, and after forcing Gasol into a miss on the defensive end, Henson threw down a putback dunk on the ensuing possession to force a Bulls timeout.

Antetokounmpo recorded two blocks in the final two minutes, including one of Rose that would have cut Chicago's deficit to two. Middleton made two free throws with 27.3 seconds left for the final margin.

Chicago missed its first eight shots and trailed 9-0 less than four minutes in, but the Bulls scored the next 11 points coming out of a timeout. The lead changed hands seven more times the rest of the half, which ended with the Bucks holding a slim 52-49 lead.

Game Notes

The Bulls had won nine in a row at home ... Gasol has recorded a double-double every game this series ... Bulls rookie Nikola Mirotic was limited to three points in 18-plus minutes off the bench ... Joakim Noah also posted a double- double for Chicago with 10 points and 13 rebounds ... Rose committed six turnovers ... Milwaukee's bench has outscored Chicago's reserves every game this series following their 25-20 advantage ... The Bucks made all 16 of their free throw attempts.