Bulls at Bucks
THE STORY: As good as Derrick Rose is, the reigning MVP and Chicago Bulls are feeling the added stress of being without two key offensive cogs in the starting lineup. After racing out to a 16-3 start to the season, the Bulls have alternated wins and losses in their last six games, a stretch that has coincided with injuries to shooting guard Richard Hamilton and forward Luol Deng. While Hamilton has been ruled out indefinitely, there's a chance Deng could return from a seven-game absence when Chicago visits the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. With Deng and Hamilton combining to average 30 points per game, Rose has done his best to fill the scoring void, churning out four 30-point games in his last five. That included a 32-point, 13-assist effort in Thursday's win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Saturday’s game is the fifth of a season-high nine-game road trip for the Bulls.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSWI, WGN
ABOUT THE BULLS (19-6): Rose was named a starter for the All-Star Game on Thursday – the second straight season he was selected. Since returning from a four-game injury absence (sprained big toe), Rose has averaged 28.4 points in seven games. G Ronnie Brewer has been struggling in his starting role, averaging 7.2 points and shooting 31 percent in his last five games. Kyle Korver has helped pick up the slack, averaging 14 points in three starts since Hamilton was hurt.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (10-12): Milwaukee’s road woes surfaced in an 88-80 loss at Detroit on Friday night. The Bucks, who walloped the Pistons by 21 points at home earlier in the week, dropped to 3-10 on the road and had a three-game winning streak snapped. Milwaukee did get a spark from seldom-used rookie forward Tobias Harris in Friday’s game. Harris scored all eight of his points during an 11-0 spurt to get the Bucks back in the game. He also grabbed five rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Chicago has been the Bucks five straight times, including a 107-100 victory on Jan. 27.
2. Milwaukee had a streak of five straight games with at least 100 points end in Friday’s loss.