(3) Chicago Bulls (3-0) at (6) Milwaukee Bucks (0-3), 5:30 p.m. (ET)
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Bulls will go for a sweep Saturday evening when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at the Bradley Center.
Chicago is ahead 3-0 thanks to an amazing performance from Derrick Rose on Thursday. He scored a season-high 34 points in the Bulls' 113-106, double- overtime victory in Game 3 in Milwaukee.
Rose added eight assists and five rebounds. He was held scoreless in the first half of Game 2 and finished with 15 points, but, on Tuesday, he spearheaded a 12-0 run to open the second overtime period.
"It's an honor to even be in the playoffs, let alone be up 3-0," Rose said. "We're playing against a hungry team, a young team that is pushing us. That's why you gotta love the playoffs because every game is different."
Rose is playing in the postseason for the first time since 2012.
Jimmy Butler deposited 24 points and Pau Gasol chipped in 17 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for Chicago, which squandered a 10-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation before battling for the win.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had the best playoff game of his young career, pouring in 25 points with 12 rebounds for Milwaukee. Michael Carter-Williams went for 19 points and nine assists, while Khris Middleton finished with 18 points and John Henson contributed 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in the loss.
"The effort was there the whole night. The guys played their hearts out against a very elite team," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said.
Tony Snell's second 3-pointer in as many trips helped Chicago stretch its lead to 94-84 with 2:51 remaining in the fourth.
The Bulls then went cold down the stretch.
Henson followed with a layup and Middleton buried successive 3s as the Bucks trimmed their deficit to a basket with 55.6 seconds on the clock.
Snell missed at the other end prior to Henson converting 1-of-2 from the foul line. After a miss from Rose, Middleton kept his hot shooting going with a mid-range jumper to close an 11-0 burst for a 95-94 edge with 10.8 seconds left.
The Bulls chose not to call a timeout and Rose raced up the floor, crossed over a defender and darted into the lane before getting fouled. Rose took a few seconds to get up, then missed the first free throw. He rattled in the second to tie the game, and Middleton's contested trey in the closing seconds was off the mark.
The first overtime went back and forth, with each team answering one another over the first half of the period. O.J. Mayo's jumper with 2:31 left tied it at 101-101. Neither team would score the rest of the frame, with Butler missing a 3-pointer on Chicago's last touch and Mayo coming up long on a potential game-winner as time expired.
Butler opened the second overtime by picking off a pass and coasting in for a dunk, and Rose netted a pair of free throws to keep the pressure on Milwaukee. Joakim Noah found Gasol inside for a dunk and Rose followed with back-to-back baskets for a 10-point spread. Gasol capped the Chicago spurt with two free throws with over a minute left.
"I did like the fight to come back and find a way to win," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The Bucks went 2-for-7 from the floor and committed four turnovers in the pivotal second overtime.
Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic missed the game with a knee injury that he suffered in Game 2. His status for Saturday is unknown.
Game 5, if necessary, will be Monday at the United Center.