Tony Snell scored 20 points, Nikola Mirotic had 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and the surging Chicago Bulls pounded the Milwaukee Bucks on the boards on their way to an 87-71 victory on Monday night.
Pau Gasol added 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Bulls enjoyed a whopping 62-41 advantage on the glass. Joakim Noah had eight points and 16 rebounds on his bobblehead night, and Jimmy Butler finished with 11 points and nine boards.
Milwaukee shot 34 percent (30 for 89) from the field in its second straight loss after a stretch of nine wins in 10 games. Ersan Ilyasova had 15 points and 11 rebounds in his first start since Jan. 27 at Miami.
Chicago played without key reserves Taj Gibson and Kirk Hinrich, who were away from the team due to an illness. But Snell and Mirotic each provided a big boost off the bench.
The Bulls grabbed control in the first half and led by double digits for most of the final three quarters. Butler had an impressive rebound dunk off a miss by Aaron Brooks, and Mirotic made two foul shots to make it 75-56 with 6:29 left.
Chicago won for the sixth time in its last seven games despite an awful performance for point guard Derrick Rose, who had eight points on 1-for-13 shooting.
The Bucks have dropped two of three since they shipped leading scorer Brandon Knight to Phoenix in a three-team trade on Thursday. Milwaukee got Michael Carter-Williams from Philadelphia in the deadline deal, but the point guard has been sidelined by a right foot strain.
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"We have to get him on the floor, he's been out," coach Jason Kidd said before the game. "Once we get him on the floor we'll kind of restart and get everyone comfortable playing with him. Hopefully that will be soon."
Asked specifically when Carter-Williams would be back, Kidd responded: "We'll see." In the meantime, Jerryd Bayless had eight points, eight rebounds and five assists in his third consecutive start at the point, but the Bucks looked like a team in transition while playing without Knight and Carter-Williams.
Led by Mirotic and Snell, the Bulls grabbed control in the second quarter. Mirotic hit a fadeaway jumper and a 3-pointer in a 13-2 run that made it 34-17 with 6:13 left.
Snell scored 13 of his 18 first-half points in the second, helping Chicago to a 48-33 lead at the break. Mirotic had six points and 10 rebounds at halftime.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Kidd said the Bucks try to schedule Jabari Parker's treatment and rehab around practice and shootarounds so the former Chicago prep star can stay around the team. Parker is out for the season after injuring his left knee on Dec. 15. "He looks great," Kidd said. "All the texts and the emails that we got on his rehab (indicates) that it is going really well." ... The Bucks dropped to 15-14 on the road. The last time they finished with a winning road record was a 21-20 mark for the 2000-01 season.
Bulls: Chicago improved to 3-0 against Milwaukee this season and has won six straight against the Bucks dating to last season. ... Gasol was frequently double-teamed in his first game against Milwaukee since he scored a career-high 46 points in Chicago's 95-87 victory on Jan. 10.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Bulls: Host Charlotte on Wednesday night.
