Alive for Game 5: Milwaukee Bucks stun Bulls on Jerryd Bayless’ layup at buzzer
By Phil Watson
In Thursday night’s double-overtime loss in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series, it was the Milwaukee Bucks who roared back from a big deficit in the late going to push the Chicago Bulls into overtime.
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In front of a packed house at BMO Harris Bradley Center Saturday afternoon, the Bulls almost returned the favor, but the Bucks made two huge plays in the final 1.3 seconds and forced the series back to Chicago for Game 5 with a stunning 92-90 win.
Milwaukee still trails in the series 3-1, but broke a franchise-record nine-game postseason losing streak, getting its first playoff win since beating the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of a first-round series on April 28, 2010, in Atlanta.
It was the Bucks first win at home in the postseason since beating the Hawks 111-104 in Game 4 of the same series on April 26, 2010.
And it was a former MVP, Derrick Rose, who was fitted for the goat horns on both of the fateful plays. And it was a future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd, who showed he’s got the chops to be one helluva coach.
Let’s put it this way: Kidd’s come a long way from spilling drinks on the sidelines.
With the game tied 90-90, Jerryd Bayless put his head down and drove the lane, throwing up a wild shot that Chicago’s Taj Gibson rebounded with 19.9 seconds remaining.
The ball wound up in Rose’s hands. In the previous minute, Rose had canned a long 3-pointer to cut the Bucks’ lead to three points, then found a cutting Pau Gasol to set up a conventional three-point play that tied the game with 38.4 seconds remaining.
Rose spun on Bayless and dribbled toward the middle of the court. Khris Middleton darted in and swiped the ball away from the 2010-11 NBA MVP.
Then it was Kidd showing he still had the quickness he had for 19 years as an NBA point guard, getting a quick timeout.
Kidd then showed his prowess with a whiteboard.
The first option on the final play wasn’t Middleton, who built a bit of a reputation this season for his late-season heroics. No, instead the go-to guy was … Bayless?
“I was curious,” Bayless told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I just wanted to know because you usually don’t look for this. One of the things that Coach Kidd always stresses to us is that every cut is live. That play, obviously, it’s a game-winning play.”
Jared Dudley inbounded the ball to Bayless, who ran a route with the crispness of an NFL wide receiver, leaving Rose in his wake and flipping the ball into the basket as time expired.
For his part, Rose accepted the blame.
Apr 25, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center John Henson (31) takes a shot against Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) in the second quarter in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
“I put that all on me,” Rose told ESPN.com. “Just wasn’t paying attention to the ball. … But if anything, this is a learning experience. I don’t feel bad for myself; I feel bad for my teammates. Knowing that we could have forced the overtime and I messed things up. But I swear I’m built for it.”
Middleton’s steal was the Bucks’ 20th of the day—only the second team since 1985-86 to record that many in a playoff game, joining the Philadelphia 76ers, who picked off 20 against the Orlando Magic on May 13, 1999.
The Bucks stayed in the game with those turnovers. Chicago had a season-high 28 turnovers, the most the Bulls have had in a game—regular or postseason—since committing 28 against the Washington Wizards on Dec. 4, 2004.
Those miscues led to 39 points for Milwaukee, keeping them in a game in which they were outshot 48.5 percent to 39.1 percent and in which the Bulls canned 55.6 percent of their 3-point attempts (10-for-18).
The effort also spoiled the third playoff career-high in four games for Marquette’s Jimmy Butler, who pumped in 33 points for the Bulls on 12-of-17 shooting and canned 5-of-7 from long range while also picking off three steals.
The game got chippy at times. Former Buck Mike Dunleavy and point guard Michael Carter-Williams picked up double technical fouls in the first quarter and Bayless was involved in a little set-to with Chicago’s Aaron Brooks midway through the second.
Bayless got a technical for that incident, while Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 1. Milwaukee’s O.J. Mayo had earlier picked up a Flagrant 1, as well.
Mayo led the Bucks with 18 points, including hitting 4-of-6 from deep and nabbing four steals. Dudley added 13 points and five assists, while Bayless had 10 points and five dimes.
Milwaukee’s bench outscored Chicago’s on the day 47-13.
John Henson blocked four shots, including this rejection of Joakim Noah at the rim:
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 10 points and eight rebounds (and one stink face), while Middleton scored 10 points to go with three steals. Zaza Pachulia’s hands were active all day with six steals to go with eight points and Carter-Williams finished with eight points and five assists.
Gasol had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls—who won the rebounding battle for the third time in four games in the series, 39-34. He also blocked two shots. Rose finished with 14 points, six assists and eight turnovers, while Dunleavy scored 10 points.
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“We thought we got better (Saturday night),” Kidd told ESPN.com. “We found ourselves with a ‘W.’
“As a whole, we have a long ways to go. But I thought with this being a character game, the group in that locker room showed a lot of character by finding a way to get a win.”
So the Bucks return to Chicago still needing to figure out a way to slow down Butler, who is averaging 28.3 points per game in the series on 54.3 percent shooting. Game 5 is Monday night at the United Center, to be telecast nationally on TNT at 7 p.m.
But they have done something the franchise hadn’t seen since Game 6 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals against the 76ers—win a game when facing playoff elimination.
For a young team on the rise, that’s definitely one to grow on.