The Chicago Bulls will look to advance, while the Milwaukee Bucks will try to live for another day as they collide in Game Six of the 2015 NBA Playoffs best-of-seven series on Thursday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The Bulls, who ended up with third-best record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, but the Bucks managed to stay alive with victories in the last two games.
Following their thrilling 92-90 win at home in Game 4, the Bucks escaped with a hard-earned 94-88 win on Monday at the United Center in Chicago.
Sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams stood out for the Bucks as he finished with 22 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field to go along with nine assists, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Khris Middleton also had an outstanding night with 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field, while Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 11 points and four blocks for the Bucks, who limited the Bulls to just 34.4 percent shooting from the field.
Superstar point guard Derrick Rose failed to live up to expectations in the last two games after exploding for 34 points in the third game of the series. Rose finished with 13 points on a measly 5-for-20 clip from the field and also committed six turnovers on Monday night.
After the game, Bulls veteran forward Pau Gasol, who finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists and two blocks, admitted that they might have taken the Bucks for granted after winning in the first three games of their first-round playoff series.
"I don't know if we were comfortable or confident or overlooking them," Gasol said. "I just think we didn't play with enough sense of urgency and desire, which you have to do when you're ready to close out a team when you have them in that position. We're going to have to play the next game like it's the last game."
The odds are still in favor of the Bulls, though, as no NBA team has recovered from an 0-3 deficit in a series and only three teams in league history managed to force a Game 7, but Bucks veteran forward Jared Dudley is confident they can be the first team to win a series after losing in the first three games.
"Everyone's talking about the future, everyone's talking about the Bulls' series against Cleveland," Dudley said. "We're still here though."
The Bulls-Bucks game on Thursday night will kick off at 7:00 PM ET and will be shown live on TNT. Fans can also catch the action on TNT Overtime, while box scores and highlights will be available here.
Click on this link for more Sports News & Updates from Christianity Daily.
