The former No. 1 pick and Turkish star Ersan İlyasova made sure it didn’t happen again.Bogut returned from an injury with 22 points, 15 rebounds and two big blocks in the closing minutes to rally Milwaukee to a 99-97 NBA home victory over Chicago on Monday night after squandering another big lead. İlyasova scored 13 points, with eight rebounds and one assist for the Bucks.
Milwaukee snapped a four-game skid and extended the Bulls’ losing streak to five games. All five Bucks starters scored at least 13 points.
The Bulls overcame an 18-point second-half deficit during the two teams’ first meeting on Nov. 3 and won 83-81. In the rematch, Chicago rallied from a 14-point hole in the third quarter to take a two-point lead in the closing minutes. Monday’s victory was therefore a sweet revenge for the Bucks. Chicago is 11-3 against Milwaukee since the start of the 2006-07 season.
Elsewhere in Salt Lake City, Carlos Boozer had 24 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, and Ronnie Brewer was one off his career high with 25 points as the Jazz won their third straight, 120-93 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies
“That’s what we’re supposed to do,” Brewer said. “We’re so talented.”
All the Jazz starters had scored in double figures by halftime except for Turkish star Mehmet Okur, who had just two points in 12 minutes because of foul trouble and a sore chest. The Jazz improved to 4-1 on a six-game home stand. Other NBA results (home teams in CAPS): DALLAS 104, Philadelphia 102; and GOLDEN STATE 126, Indiana 107.
