MILWAUKEE - Guard Jerryd Bayless' late-game heroics helped Milwaukee stave off elimination as the Bucks stunned the Bulls 92-90 Saturday.
Now the Bucks will try to steal Game 5 of the first-round playoff series in Chicago tonight to force a Game 6. The Bulls lead the playoff series 3-1.
"If you lose, you go home," Bucks guard O.J. Mayo said. "I don't think that any of us are ready to go home. We didn't want to get swept. We didn't win the series, but we kept our season alive."
With 1.3 seconds to go in a tie game Saturday, Bayless cut backdoor and on a lob pass from Jared Dudley, scored a buzzer-beating layup to beat the Bulls and keep the Bucks' season alive. With the win, the Bucks snapped the Bulls' seven-game winning streak.
Bayless was excited to take advantage of Derrick Rose's overplaying on the game-winning shot.
"I was just trying to beat him backdoor," Bayless said. "I acted like I was going to go to the corner and I was hoping he (Rose) would bite. He bit and Duds made a tremendous pass."
Bucks coach Jason Kidd credited Dudley for making a pinpoint pass.
"Everyone talks about the shot, but it's the guy who throws the ball in that has the nerve to throw that pass," Kidd said. "I thought he (Bayless) really sold the cut very well on Rose. I thought Rose relaxed for a second. It was a heck of a catch and finish. Whenever we run a play, everybody is live. It's not just for the person we are trying to get a shot."
The game-winnning shot was set up when Bucks' guard Khris Middleton came up with a steal on Rose. The Bulls committed a season-high 28 turnovers and the Bucks scored 39 points off those miscues.
"It starts with defense," Kidd said. "It put us in a position to win a game."
The Bulls trailed by as many as 12 points after the Bucks went on a 21-2 run in the second quarter. The Bucks' bench had a big edge, outscoring the Bulls' bench 47-13 Saturday. Rose drilled a 3-pointer with 1:05 left to cut the Bucks' lead to 90-87. Bulls power forward Pau Gasol scored down low and was fouled. Gasol sank the free throw to convert the conventional three-point play to tie the game at 90.
"I don't think we played with enough of a sense of urgency throughout the 48 minutes," Gasol said. "That was the key tonight really, 28 turnovers. That's 28 less shots or possessions we kind of gave away. In a two-point game, that is a big difference."
The Bulls had a late scoring opportunity with less than 10 seconds to go, but Middleton came up with a steal and the Bucks called a timeout with 1.3 seconds left to set up the game-winning play. Bulls' guard Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 33 points and had seven rebounds. Gasol posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Rose scored 14 points and dished out six assists, but had a game-high eight turnovers.
"I was actually trying to call a timeout and didn't get it," Thibodeau said. "In that situation, I don't mind if Derrick has the ball with an open floor if he sees something. Nine out of 10 times he will make a great play. It didn't work out for us this time. It didn't come down to that last play. There are a lot of plays throughout the course of the game we will have to do a lot better on. We botched the last play, but we botched a lot of plays before that."
Mayo scored a team-high 18 points and Jared Dudley added 13 points to lead the Bucks. Bayless chipped in 10 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 10 points and had eight rebounds. Middleton added 10 points and three steals and Zaza Pachulia had a team-high six steals.
If the Bucks are going to force a Game 6, the defensive pressure they showcased Saturday will have to come through.
"We have to have that same commitment and hustle to get better in Game 5," Kidd said. "This was a character game. I thought we showed a lot of character for coming out and finding a way to get a win."
The Bulls will look to cut down on the turnovers tonight. Thibodeau noticed a difference in Game 4 from the Bucks' defense.
"We beat ourselves," Thibodeau said. "It's really that simple. I think the biggest thing was their intensity and ball pressure. They were active with their hands popping the ball loose. When you turn the ball over 28 times, you have to be stronger with the ball. They are coming through us. We have to hold our ground. We have to tuck it on the catch and run through the pass. We have to stop dancing with the ball."
At the end of the game, Kidd stayed with his bench as Middleton was the only starter on the court.
"This is who we are at the beginning of the year," Kidd said. "Our bench was a big part of our success at the beginning of the year. We were going to ride them as long as they could stand. I thought Juice (Mayo) and Bayless were great penetrating."
"Everything we do from here on out is a bonus," Kidd said. "Most of you sitting here didn't have us here."
Butler is averaging 28.3 points per game for the Bulls in the series. Trying to find a way to slow down Butler will be a challenge for the Bucks.
"Jimmy was playing great," Gasol said. "Shot the ball incredibly well. He was aggressive even though they tried to take away a lot of stuff; they are loading to the ball when he gets it. He is a great player playing at a high level and the rest of us have to be ready to make plays and make them pay for their commitment to certain players."
Gasol said the Bucks are active and scramble well on defense.
"They are aggressive to the ball," he said. "So they force you to move the ball and find the open guy on the weak side, and that is what we have to be willing to do, get rid of the ball, move it, find the open guy and crash the glass."
Bayless likes the way the Bucks' offense played moving the ball. He understands ball movement is key to jump-starting the offense.
"When we move the ball as a team we are tough to stop because we have so many shooters," he said.
Gasol is looking forward to ending the series tonight in Chicago.
"We want to close the series at home," Gasol said. "We have to make sure we set the tone and are the aggressor."
Now the Bucks will try to steal Game 5 of the first-round playoff series in Chicago tonight to force a Game 6. The Bulls lead the playoff series 3-1.
"If you lose, you go home," Bucks guard O.J. Mayo said. "I don't think that any of us are ready to go home. We didn't want to get swept. We didn't win the series, but we kept our season alive."
With 1.3 seconds to go in a tie game Saturday, Bayless cut backdoor and on a lob pass from Jared Dudley, scored a buzzer-beating layup to beat the Bulls and keep the Bucks' season alive. With the win, the Bucks snapped the Bulls' seven-game winning streak.
Bayless was excited to take advantage of Derrick Rose's overplaying on the game-winning shot.
"I was just trying to beat him backdoor," Bayless said. "I acted like I was going to go to the corner and I was hoping he (Rose) would bite. He bit and Duds made a tremendous pass."
Bucks coach Jason Kidd credited Dudley for making a pinpoint pass.
"Everyone talks about the shot, but it's the guy who throws the ball in that has the nerve to throw that pass," Kidd said. "I thought he (Bayless) really sold the cut very well on Rose. I thought Rose relaxed for a second. It was a heck of a catch and finish. Whenever we run a play, everybody is live. It's not just for the person we are trying to get a shot."
The game-winnning shot was set up when Bucks' guard Khris Middleton came up with a steal on Rose. The Bulls committed a season-high 28 turnovers and the Bucks scored 39 points off those miscues.
"It starts with defense," Kidd said. "It put us in a position to win a game."
The Bulls trailed by as many as 12 points after the Bucks went on a 21-2 run in the second quarter. The Bucks' bench had a big edge, outscoring the Bulls' bench 47-13 Saturday. Rose drilled a 3-pointer with 1:05 left to cut the Bucks' lead to 90-87. Bulls power forward Pau Gasol scored down low and was fouled. Gasol sank the free throw to convert the conventional three-point play to tie the game at 90.
"I don't think we played with enough of a sense of urgency throughout the 48 minutes," Gasol said. "That was the key tonight really, 28 turnovers. That's 28 less shots or possessions we kind of gave away. In a two-point game, that is a big difference."
The Bulls had a late scoring opportunity with less than 10 seconds to go, but Middleton came up with a steal and the Bucks called a timeout with 1.3 seconds left to set up the game-winning play. Bulls' guard Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 33 points and had seven rebounds. Gasol posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Rose scored 14 points and dished out six assists, but had a game-high eight turnovers.
"I was actually trying to call a timeout and didn't get it," Thibodeau said. "In that situation, I don't mind if Derrick has the ball with an open floor if he sees something. Nine out of 10 times he will make a great play. It didn't work out for us this time. It didn't come down to that last play. There are a lot of plays throughout the course of the game we will have to do a lot better on. We botched the last play, but we botched a lot of plays before that."
Mayo scored a team-high 18 points and Jared Dudley added 13 points to lead the Bucks. Bayless chipped in 10 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 10 points and had eight rebounds. Middleton added 10 points and three steals and Zaza Pachulia had a team-high six steals.
If the Bucks are going to force a Game 6, the defensive pressure they showcased Saturday will have to come through.
"We have to have that same commitment and hustle to get better in Game 5," Kidd said. "This was a character game. I thought we showed a lot of character for coming out and finding a way to get a win."
The Bulls will look to cut down on the turnovers tonight. Thibodeau noticed a difference in Game 4 from the Bucks' defense.
"We beat ourselves," Thibodeau said. "It's really that simple. I think the biggest thing was their intensity and ball pressure. They were active with their hands popping the ball loose. When you turn the ball over 28 times, you have to be stronger with the ball. They are coming through us. We have to hold our ground. We have to tuck it on the catch and run through the pass. We have to stop dancing with the ball."
At the end of the game, Kidd stayed with his bench as Middleton was the only starter on the court.
"This is who we are at the beginning of the year," Kidd said. "Our bench was a big part of our success at the beginning of the year. We were going to ride them as long as they could stand. I thought Juice (Mayo) and Bayless were great penetrating."
"Everything we do from here on out is a bonus," Kidd said. "Most of you sitting here didn't have us here."
Butler is averaging 28.3 points per game for the Bulls in the series. Trying to find a way to slow down Butler will be a challenge for the Bucks.
"Jimmy was playing great," Gasol said. "Shot the ball incredibly well. He was aggressive even though they tried to take away a lot of stuff; they are loading to the ball when he gets it. He is a great player playing at a high level and the rest of us have to be ready to make plays and make them pay for their commitment to certain players."
Gasol said the Bucks are active and scramble well on defense.
"They are aggressive to the ball," he said. "So they force you to move the ball and find the open guy on the weak side, and that is what we have to be willing to do, get rid of the ball, move it, find the open guy and crash the glass."
Bayless likes the way the Bucks' offense played moving the ball. He understands ball movement is key to jump-starting the offense.
"When we move the ball as a team we are tough to stop because we have so many shooters," he said.
Gasol is looking forward to ending the series tonight in Chicago.
"We want to close the series at home," Gasol said. "We have to make sure we set the tone and are the aggressor."
