Bulls come from fifteen down to beat Bucks at Bradley Center

MILWAUKEE—Derrick Rose hit three straight shots in the final two minutes, rallying the Bulls to a 95-87 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.Rose scored 30 points and had a career-high 17 assists, and nearly single-handedly brought the Bulls from behind with the clock winding down.With the Bulls trailing 87-83, Rose hit a pair of free throws, then fed Joakim Noah for a fast-break dunk to tie it. Rose then hit three straight shots for the Bulls, and handed off to Ronnie Brewer for a fast-break layup.Carlos Boozer had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Noah scored 12 with 11 rebounds.John Salmons scored 25 and Carlos Delfino added 23 for the Bucks, who are scrambling to make the playoffs.Brandon Jennings scored 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting for Milwaukee.Michael Redd was back in uniform for the Bucks for the first time since sustaining a severe knee injury last January, but did not play.Leading 48-44 at halftime, the Bucks took control of the game with an 12-1 run to begin the third quarter — including 10 points from Salmons. But the Bulls closed the quarter on a 12-5 run, including a pair of spectacular assists by Rose, and Milwaukee went into the fourth quarter leading 74-69.The Bulls then closed the gap in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 76 on a 3-pointer by C.J. Watson with 7:12 left. With the game tied at 83 and less than four minutes left, fouls sent Delfino to the line twice — and he made all four free throws, giving the Bucks an 87-83 lead with 3:20 left.Rose answered with a pair of free throws, cutting the lead to three.Rose then set up Noah for a fast-break dunk to tie it. After a Milwaukee turnover, Rose drove to the basket to give the Bulls the lead. Rose then hit two more jumpers in front of a bewildered Bucks defense.After another Bucks turnover, Rose fed Ronnie Brewer for a layup to clinch the game.A loud contingent of traveling Bulls fans chanted “M-V-P!” as the final seconds ran out.It was a must-have home game for the Bucks — even if a heavily pro-Bulls crowd certainly didn’t make it sound that way for much of the night.With the Bulls vying for the No. 1 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference and tickets hard to come by at the United Center, a large horde of Bulls fans made the drive up I-94 to see their team play in Milwaukee.The traveling fans made their presence felt early, booing any Bucks fan shown in Green Bay Packers gear on the scoreboard video display before the game, then booing the Bucks during pregame introductions.More than anything, they went wild for the exploits of Rose; one woman held up a sign that read, “Future Mrs. D Rose.” A collective gasp filled the arena when Rose converted a pair of acrobatic layups in the first half and chanting “M-V-P! M-V-P!” every time he made a big play.And he made plenty of them, especially when it counted the most.The Bucks, meanwhile, had Redd back in uniform but he didn’t get in the game.Redd tore ligaments in his left knee each of the previous two seasons, most recently in January 2010 — just 18 games after he returned from his previous knee injury. Redd played a total of only 51 games in the previous two seasons.Redd said before the game that he’s excited and nervous about the possibility of returning to the court, and said he’s willing to play whatever role Bucks coach Scott Skiles wants him to in order to help the team make a push for the playoffs.Skiles said Redd is in excellent condition, but his timing is a little off after being out so long.