Slam Dunk Central

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A combination of stifling defense and abysmal shooting by the Chicago Bulls were the key in the Milwaukee Bucks slipping past the Bulls 78-72 at Milwaukee.? Neither team shot very well; Milwaukee shot 32.9% from the field, while Chicago didn’t fare much better, going 27-of-77 (35.1%).

The Bulls’ Achilles heel tonight was turnovers as they committed 19; point guard Kirk Hinrich had 6 by himself.? The game itself was relatively close throughout; power forward Yi Jianlian, the 6th overall pick from China, made a jumper that tied the game at 37 with 7:39 left in the third quarter.? Milwaukee center Dan Gadzuric blocked a shot by Chicago forward Tyrus Thomas, then Bucks guard Mo Williams found Jianlian with a pass for a long jumper that put the Bucks ahead 39-37.

Late in the 4th quarter, Chicago guard-forward Luol Deng made a layup with 9 seconds remaining in the game, cutting the Bicks’ lead to 76-72, but Milwaukee shooting guard Michael Redd was fouled then he hit 2 free throws to seal the win.? Milwaukee was led by Redd with 27 points on 8-for-24 shooting?while Jianlin added 16 points and 8 rebounds.? Chicago’s high scorer was Ben Gordon with 15 points while power forward Joe Smith added 14 points and 10 boards from off the bench.? Milwaukee (1-2) plays again Tuesday when they host the Toronto Raptors while the troubled, winless Bulls (0-3) next face the Los Angeles Clippers?at home, also on Tuesday.