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Bulls beat Bucks to continue division dominance

Feb 27, 2011 - 5:37 AM Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Luol Deng scored 19 points and Derrick Rose added 17, as the Bulls remained unbeaten against Central Division competition with an 83-75 triumph over Milwaukee.

Carlos Boozer totaled 13 points and Kyle Korver came off the bench for 11 for Chicago, which has won six of its last seven overall and moved to 12-0 this season versus teams in its own division. That includes a 3-0 mark when facing the Bucks.

Joakim Noah pulled down 17 rebounds for Chicago, which limited Milwaukee to 38.2 percent shooting from the field.

Luc Mbah a Moute ended with 16 points for the Bucks, who lost for the sixth time in eight games.

Earl Boykins scored all 10 of his points in the last quarter for the Bucks, but they went 5-for-18 from the field over the final 12 minutes.

The Bucks fought to a 25-21 lead after the opening quarter, but they shot 31 percent in the second. Chicago took advantage of the poor performance by scoring nine in a row for a 32-29 edge. The teams went to the half even at 39.

"They're a tough defensive team, we're a tough defensive team, something had to give in the second half," Boozer said. "At halftime we thought we did a good job on 'D' but we thought on offense we missed a couple of things we usually do well. In the second half, we executed much better."

Deng and Boozer combined for 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the third quarter, helping Chicago to a 31-20 scoring advantage in the period. Included in the stanza was a 12-1 run for Chicago. Boozer gave Chicago the lead for good with a layup and Keith Bogans ended the rally with a three-pointer for a 56-49 lead midway through the quarter.

Ahead 70-59 moving to the fourth, Chicago was able to keep the Bucks at arm's length. Milwaukee got within six at 78-72 on a John Salmons three-pointer inside four minutes. Korver came right back with a three-ball for the Bulls, who got a giant boost thanks to Noah's nine offensive boards.

"Their defense is unbelievable this year and on the offensive rebounding really hurt us more than anything," Boykins said. "It's tough to overcome."

Game Notes

Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova suffered a concussion during practice on Friday and missed the game...Chicago held a 49-37 rebounding edge...Andrew Bogut had 16 rebounds for the Bucks, but he went 2-of-10 from the field and had only six points...Salmons scored 14.