Pau Gasol's career-high 46 leads Bulls over Bucks
Without defensive anchor Larry Sanders, the frail Milwaukee Bucks frontline simply had no answer for Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol, who led the Bulls to an 95-87 victory on the road.
On Saturday, Gasol thoroughly abused the Bucks to the tune of 46 points on 17-of-30 shooting. His output bested his previous career-high of 44, which he scored against the Seattle Supersonics in 2006. Gasol also tacked on 18 rebounds and three assists.
Gasol's night put him in the company of Michael Jordan for the only Bulls players to score over 40 points while grabbing more than 15 rebounds in a game in the last 30 years.
Pau Gasol joins Michael Jordan as the only Bulls players with 40 points and 15 rebounds in a game over the last 30 seasons.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 11, 2015
The Bulls repeatedly turned to Gasol with Derrick Rose out due to knee soreness. Gasol easily overwhelmed smaller defenders like Johnny O'Bryant and John Henson, both on the block and with jumpers from the high post.
Gasol's shot chart illustrates his brilliance.
Despite Gasol's dominance, the Bucks managed to keep the game close by shutting down the Bulls' secondary options. Jimmy Butler, for example, scored just nine points on 2-of-9 shooting, while interim starter Tony Snell shot 1-of-7. Butler did make up for his scoring by handing out a career-high 10 assists.
However, the Bucks' offense fared no better, shooting just 44.4 percent from the field. The Bulls' smothering frontline managed to keep the Bucks out of the paint and the Bucks fared poorly on 3-pointers as well, connecting on just 3-of-11 attempts.
Bucks point guard Brandon Knight led the way for Milwaukee with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Kenyon Martin, who signed a 10-day contract with the Bucks earlier this week, left the game with a chest contusion and did not return.