Khris Middleton
The defense was holding the Bulls in check, and the Milwaukee Bucks led 74-71 early in the fourth quarter.
Then All-Star Jimmy Butler and his Chicago teammates put it all together, ran off a 13-0 run, and seized Game 2 with a 91-82 victory. The Bulls now lead the best-of-seven series two-games-to-none.
Butler, a Marquette product, scored 14 of his playoff career-high 31 points in the fourth quarter. Derrick Rose scored all of his 15 points after halftime.
Khris Middleton led the Bucks for a second consecutive game, tallying 22 points. Michael Carter-Williams added 12.
In an extremely physical game, the two Central Division rivals combined for seven technical fouls, two of which led to the ejection of center Zaza Pachulia with 2:48 remaining in the game. There were several occasions when members of both teams became involved in pushing and shoving.
Milwaukee, which shot 35% from the field and was outrebounded by 16, has lost eight straight postseason games dating back to 2010.
The series now shifts to the BMO Harris Bradley Center, where the Bucks were 23-18 during the regular season. They split two games against Chicago on the home floor.
Game 3 starts at 7pm (NBA TV, FS WI), while Saturday’s Game 4 has a 5:30pm tip.