Jimmy Butler was sidelined by swelling in his left knee, and then Aaron Brooks and Bobby Portis left with two more injuries.While the health woes mounted in the second half, the banged-up Bulls just kept passing to the open man.Led by Pau Gasol‘s ninth career triple-double, the Bulls had a season-high 35 assists on 39 baskets and beat the Milwaukee Bucks 100-90 on Monday night. ”We’ve got a good recipe for having a lot of assists,” said Mike Dunleavy, who made four 3-pointers and scored 18 points. ”We’ve done that pretty well the last few weeks. Right now, with the guys we have, that’s the best way for us to play.” The Bulls shot 50 percent from the field and put six players in double figures in their second straight win after a four-game slide. Gasol had 12 points, 17 rebounds, 13 assists and five blocked shots, and Derrick Rose scored 22 points. ”I love moving the ball. I love finding my open teammates,” Gasol said. ”I love making the right play, and lately I’ve been more on the top of the floor being able to make those plays and those passes.” Jerryd Bayless scored 20 points for Milwaukee, which has dropped five of seven. Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton had 18 points apiece, and Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 12 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. ”We’ve got to communicate, we have to talk,” coach Jason Kidd said. ”We had breakdowns defensively. We can fix that.” Butler missed 11 games before he returned for the Bulls 108-100 victory over Houston on Saturday night. But the All-Star guard had some stiffness in his back on Sunday and then developed some swelling in his knee on Monday, prompting the Bulls to hold him out.Then Brooks left in the first half with right patellar tendinitis, and Portis was poked in the left eye late in the third period. ”I mean at this point it’s borderline comical,” Dunleavy said. ”We just can’t stay healthy for whatever reason.” Coach Fred Hoiberg said the Bulls will know more about Butler on Tuesday. ”The doctor said structurally he was OK,” Hoiberg said. Greg Monroe‘s turnaround hook shot got Milwaukee within two with 4:53 left, but the Bulls responded with an 8-1 run. E’Twaun Moore and Dunleavy each made a 3-pointer before Gasol connected on two free throws to make it 93-84 with 1:49 remaining.Gasol added a driving layup and Rose made two foul shots with 27 seconds left to help the Bulls hold on for their second win in three games against the Bucks this season. ”We just have to lock in at the end of the game,” Monroe said. ”We put ourselves in position to win the game. When it gets to be crunch time, we have to focus. It’s something we can clean up.” Moore had 16 points and seven assists for the Bulls, who, had allowed at least 100 points in 16 straight games. Taj Gibson added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Nikola Mirotic scored 14 points.Milwaukee point guard Michael Carter-Williams missed his fifth straight game, and the team said he is scheduled for season-ending left hip surgery on Thursday in Colorado. He averaged 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and a team-high 5.2 assists in 54 games this season, including 37 starts.Carter-Williams had been coming off the bench before he was sidelined by hip and knee soreness, giving Antetokounmpo more opportunities to handle the ball. The 6-foot-11 forward has made the most of the additional responsibility, averaging 20.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 8.7 assists in his previous seven games, including three triple-doubles.But Antetokounmpo was mostly held in check by the Bulls, with Dunleavy, Mirotic and Gibson leading the charge. He was 5 for 13 from the field and had three turnovers.

NOTES—Gasol, who turns 36 in July, has two triple-doubles this season. He is only the fourth player 35 years or older with multiple triple-doubles in a season, joining Kidd, Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce…..Bucks: Monroe finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds. … Parker also had 11 boards as the Bucks outrebounded the Bulls 48-44…..Gibson blocked three shots as the Bulls finished with a season-high 11…..The Bulls visit San Antonio on Thursday night.Bucks host Miami on Wednesday night.

DETROIT—Jordan Fouse had 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to help fourth-seeded Wisconsin-Green Bay beat No. 1 seed Valparaiso 99-92 in overtime Monday night and advance to the Horizon League tournament finals.Charles Cooper scored 24, including 15 of 24 foul shots, Carrington Love added 23 points and Jamar Hurdle 13 for UWGB, which lost both regular-season matchups with Valparaiso.Green Bay (22-12), which shot a season-high 54.5 percent (12 of 22) from 3-point range, will face the winner of No. 2 seed Oakland and third-seeded Wright State in the championship game Tuesday night.The Phoenix scored 12-straight points, including five by Love, to take a 91-81 lead with 1:16 left in overtime and held on from there.After Cooper made the second of two free throws to give the Phoenix Bay a 79-77 lead with 2.1 seconds left in regulation, Jubril Adekoya threw the inbounds pass the length of the court to Alec Peters for the tying layup with 0.5 seconds left.Peters led Valpo (26-6) with 32 points and 12 rebounds.Valpo will have to wait for Sunday to find out if they will get an At Large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The special teams were quite special once again. Patrick Kane got the Blackhawks off to a fast start, and Corey Crawford stepped up when they struggled in the second period.Not a bad little tuneup for a crucial two-game trip.Kane scored his 38th goal on the first shot of the game and Crawford made 33 saves, helping the Blackhawks beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Sunday.

”That was another fast game against them,” Crawford said. ”They’ve got a lot of speed. I thought we got better as the game went on. A big kill to start the third, and some big insurance goals after that.”

Artem Anisimov and Duncan Keith each had a power-play goal as the Blackhawks won for the third time in four games, including a 5-2 victory at Detroit on Wednesday. The Hawks went 2 for 3 with the man advantage and have at least one power-play goal in each of their last four games.Next up for the Stanley Cup champions is St. Louis on Wednesday night, and then a visit to Dallas on Friday night. The Blackhawks (41-21-5) and Stars are on top of the Western Conference with 87 points apiece, and the Blues also are in the mix for the Central Division title.

”We’ve got a lot of division games coming up,” said captain Jonathan Toews, who tacked on his 24th goal in the third. ”Those aren’t going to be easy ones. It’ll be good preparation for the end of the year. We don’t want to look too far ahead.”

The season-high crowd of 22,247 had just started its usual derisive Detroit chant when Kane skated up the right side and beat Petr Mrazek with a wrist shot under the goaltender’s glove just 21 seconds into the game. Kane’s eighth goal in his last 13 games ran his NHL-best point total to a career-high 89.The Red Wings (32-22-11) played without center Pavel Datsyuk, who was scratched due to an illness. Datsyuk has 13 goals and 23 assists in 49 games.Mrazek also allowed Keith’s ninth goal before he was replaced by Jimmy Howard at 6:19 of the first. Howard finished with 19 saves.

”I didn’t think the first goal was one that should have went in,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. ”That’s one that Petr normally has and so then you’re kind of down right away. The second goal was one that might have been unfortunate a little bit, but it went in nonetheless. Then the next thing you know you’re down 2-0 right away.You have to change momentum in the game and that’s why we made that decision.”

The goaltender change sparked Detroit for a while. Gustav Nyquist‘s 16th goal trimmed the lead to 2-1 at 8:34 of the opening period, and the Red Wings outshot the Blackhawks 13-3 in the second.With Toews in the box for slashing, Crawford made a terrific kick save on rookie Dylan Larkin early in the third. The Red Wings went 0 for 3 on the power play.

”I think it really comes down to special teams,” Nyquist said. ”They scored two and we don’t score any, so that’s the game right there.”

Crawford also made a great stop on Tomas Tatar at 3:53 before the Blackhawks put it away. Anisimov was parked in front when he tipped Artemi Panarin‘s shot past Howard for his 19th goal. Toews added another goalmouth tip-in for a 4-1 lead at 12:23.

NOTES—Blackhawks Marian Hossa is expected to travel with the team for Wednesday’s game at St. Louis. Hossa has been out since he was hit on his lower left leg in the second period of an overtime loss to Anaheim on Feb. 13. … Red Wings C Brad Richards got a standing ovation when he was recognized on the overhead videoboard during the first period in his return to Chicago after helping the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup last season. He acknowledged the cheers with a wave. … Blackhawks F Brandon Mashinter was scratched due to an illness. … Musician and actress Lady Gaga and her fiance, actor Taylor Kinney, got a big ovation when they smooched when they were shown on the videoboard during the ”Kiss Cam” segment in the second period.

EVANSTON—Alex Olah scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Northwestern beat Nebraska 65-54 in their regular-season finale on Sunday.Tre Demps added 17 points for the Wildcats, who secured the ninth seed and a first-round bye in next week’s Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis.Tai Webster and Andrew White III scored 13 points apiece for the Huskers, who ended up with the 11th seed. Shavon Shields added 11 points.NU (20-11, 8-10) has won three straight and four of six to set a school record for victories in a regular season. The Wildcats won 20 overall games in 2009-10 and 2010-11. The Wildcats have never made the NCAA Tournament and appear headed to the NIT unless they can win four straight games to win the Big Ten Tourament. NU has never gotten past the Big Ten quarterfinals.Nebraska (14-17, 6-12) has lost five straight and nine of its last 11. Shields was leading the Huskers with 16.7 points per game but went just 2-for-12 from the field.

STATE COLLEGE—Shep Garner scored 22 points and Penn State hung on through two overtime periods to beat Illinois 86-79 on Sunday.Brandon Taylor added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Nittany Lions (16-15, 7-11 Big Ten), who secured a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament for the first time in program history. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and marked Penn State’s most conference wins under head coach Patrick Chambers.Josh Reaves added 13 points and Donovon Jack chipped in 10 for Penn State.Malcolm Hill scored 24 of his 39 points in the second half and added 13 rebounds for the Fighting Illini (13-18, 5-13), who faced a 10-point deficit with just over 12 minutes to play. Illinois lost its second game in a row and will play in the opening round of the conference tournament on Wednesday.Khalid Lewis added 10 points for the Illini who outscored Penn State 22-12 over the final 8:49 of regulation. But Penn State mounted a 19-9 run that included 9-of-10 shooting from the line to close out the game.Penn State looked like it would keep Illinois down with steady defense early on.The Nittany Lions led for 16:13 of the first half including the first 9:14 but never by more than six points. But a shootout ensued down the stretch as the teams swapped the lead six times before Garner nailed his third 3-pointer and converted a soaring layup in the closing minute to give Penn State a 37-36 halftime lead.Garner finished the first half with 11 points and made three of Penn State’s five 3-pointers.Reaves, who set a career high in points, started hot on the backend, too. He scored six of his eight first-half points and added two blocks in the first 5:30. But his minutes were cut after drawing his second foul with 5:13 left.With Reaves in foul trouble early, Taylor got going midway through the second half. He ran off seven-straight points, capped by a turnaround jumper through traffic that put Penn State up 53-43 with 12:15 left. But he’d watch that lead shrink.Sparked by Hill’s fluid fadeaway shots, Illinois mounted a 19-8 run capped by a pair of Hill free throws to take a 64-63 lead with 1:58 left.The teams swapped the lead twice more before Garner tied it 67-67 with a layup that drew a foul with 14 seconds left. He missed the potential go-ahead free throw, but made up for it in the first overtime with a go-ahead 3-pointer in the waning seconds. Illinois forced a second overtime with two Hill free throws.But Penn State dominated the glass, pulling down seven rebounds to Illinois’ four in the final period. Jordan Dickerson grabbed the biggest one, and kicked the ball out to a wide-open Peyton Banks who nailed a 3-pointer to give Penn State the lead for good in the second overtime.The Illini made just 4 of 16 3-pointers. Kendrick Nunn was 1 for 6 from 3-point range while Jalen Coleman-Lands was 1 for 4 and Hill made 1 of 3.Illinois next plays in the Big Ten tournament first round in Indianapolis on Wednesday against Minnesota.

Deep down, Jimmy Butler insists he still thinks the Bulls can do something big.Maybe this is a start.Pau Gasol finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds, Butler scored 24 points in his return from a strained left knee, and the Bulls snapped a four-game losing streak with a 108-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday.Gasol hit four free throws after Patrick Beverley nailed a 3-pointer to cut it to 104-100 with 34.8 seconds remaining. And the Bulls withstood a late rally to avoid matching its longest skid even though James Harden scored 36 for Houston. The Bulls also moved a half-game ahead of Detroit for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

”I don’t ever think that we’re gonna lose,” Butler said.

Gasol delivered his 35th double-double and Butler added 11 rebounds after missing the previous 11 games.An aggressive Derrick Rose contributed 17 points and nine assists, although he did commit six of his team’s season-high 26 turnovers. Mike Dunleavy Jr. scored 12 and the Bulls picked up the win.

”Twenty one games left. We have a quarter of the season,” Gasol said. ”That’s a lot of games.”

While Harden went off in a big way, he was about the only one scoring for the Rockets.Dwight Howard was non-factor down low with eight points and 12 rebounds, and Houston once again struggled in a big way from the outside.The Rockets were just 9 for 35 on 3-pointers with the Bulls basically daring them to shoot. And that came on the heels of a 3-for-35 meltdown that ranked among the worst performances in NBA history during Wednesday’s win over New Orleans.The late push by Houston aside, the Bulls simply had a different energy after sluggish losses at Miami and Orlando.The Bulls were just about at full strength with Butler playing for the first time since Feb. 5, Taj Gibson (hamstring) and Nikola Mirotic (appendectomy) returning from a 16-game absence.Butler got a loud ovation during pregame introductions and gave fans plenty to cheer in the first half, scoring 14. Gasol added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Rose pushed the tempo to help the Bulls grab a 55-43 lead.A 3 by Dunleavy and a turnaround hook shot by Butler made it 68-53 just over four minutes into the third quarter. And with the lead at eight going into the fourth, Mirotic hit two 3s with Rose burying one of his own in between to bump the lead 92-75 with 9:59 remaining.It was 100-82 with just over five minutes left before Houston ralllied. A four-point play by Harden and a free throw by Corey Brewer made it 104-97, and a 3 by Beverley cut the lead to four with 34.8 seconds left.Cameron Bairstow sat out because of a back injury…The Bulls host Milwaukee on Monday.

CHAMPAIGN—New Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman had barely sat down in his chair before making his first major move at the school.On Saturday morning, in Whitman’s first official day as athletic director, Illinois announced that it had dismissed coach Bill Cubit. You just don’t see college football coaches being fired in March very often, and you have to believe that when they are, there’s a plan already in place to replace them.And it appears that may be the case.Former Bears and Bucs coach Lovie Smith could soon be in orange and blue again.Considering the state of the Illini football program the last few years, this would have to be considered a home-run hire. Smith was just fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January, but before coaching there, he spent nine seasons coaching the Bears. He won three division titles with the Bears, and led the team to an appearance in Super Bowl XLI.They also failed to make the playoffs 6 times.He’s certainly a name that will resonate with players not only in the state of Illinois, but across the country when it comes to recruiting. And while Lovie Smith is mostly known as an NFL coach, he spent 13 seasons coaching on the college level from 1983 to 1995, including stops at Wisconsin, Tennessee and Ohio State. So he’s familiar with what coaching in college is like. During his news conference on Saturday, Whitman didn’t come out and say he had a replacement for Bill Cubit, but reading between the lines, it sure sounded as if he had a candidate in mind. Whitman mentioned having to talk to HR about when Illinois could even announce its new coach.If it is indeed Lovie Smith, though, Whitman sure hasn’t wasted a lot of time in making a huge impact on an Illinois football program that’s needed a shot of adrenaline for quite some time.

“I appreciate the leadership that Bill Cubit provided our football program during what has been, unquestionably, a very tumultuous time,” Whitman said. “He accepted the challenge on an interim basis under incredibly difficult and unusual circumstances, and he has continued to work diligently for the betterment of our student-athletes. Through his efforts, he has kept the program moving forward. Bill is a good man and a good football coach. All of us in the Illini Nation owe him a debt of gratitude for his work leading our team these last months. At this juncture, however, I think it is most important that we position our program for long-term success by creating a more stable environment for the coaches, players, and prospective student-athletes.”

This is a rather surprising move.Cubit took over as interim coach for Tim Beckman just a few weeks before the 2015 season began, and after the Illini went 5-7 he was named head coach and given a two-year contract in late November. Now, less than four months later, after other schools have hired all their new coaches, Illinois has decided it needs to go in a new direction.Illinois also announced that offensive coordinator Ryan Cubit, who is the son of Bill Cubit, has also been dismissed. The rest of the coaching staff will have a chance to interview with the new head coach.As for whom the new coach will be, it will be interesting to see who Illinois can bring in to replace Cubit at this time of year. You’d like to think the school wouldn’t make such a move at this time without a replacement lined up, but Whitman said he’ll announce the replacement “as soon as possible.”

Will it be Smith? The Champaign-Urbana media will quickly find out what those in Chicago have know, that Lovie is a tough interview,who like current Bears Coach John Fox, does not like to say much to reporters.

DETROIT—JT Yoho had 15 points and Daniel Mortensen 14 and third-seeded Wright State cruised to a 74-43 win over hapless UIC in the first round of the Horizon League tournament on Saturday.The Flames closed out arguable their worst season since becoming a Division 1 Program in 1981.The Raiders (20-12), who have won five straight, play the Youngstown State-Detroit winner in the second round on Sunday.Wright State hit six 3-pointers in the first half, three by Mortensen off the bench, to lead 34-17 at the break. The 10th-seeded Flames only shot 22 percent and had 10 turnovers.The Raiders had a 13-2 run that included three treys, with Mortensen’s second making it 21-8 midway through the half. They then closed the half with 11 straight points as the Flames missed their last four shots.Wright State finished 14 of 28 behind the arc, 15 of 40 inside.Dikembe Dixson made 10 of 13 free throws and had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Flames (5-25).

ROSEMONT—Isaiah Whitehead made 10 of 15 shots, including six 3-pointers, for a career high 33 points and Seton Hall wrapped up the regular season on Saturday by rolling to an 80-66 win over DePaul.Seton Hall (22-8, 12-6) heads into the Big East tournament as the third seed while DePaul (9-21, 3-15) is ninth.Whitehead had 25 points in the second half as the Pirates pulled away. He was 6 of 10 behind the arc and had five rebounds and five assists. Khadeen Carrington added 17 points, Desi Rodriguez 11 and Angel Delgado had 10 rebounds.Seton Hall made 7 of 11 3-pointers – and was 6 of 11 inside the arc – in the second half to finish 12 of 25 for the game. The Pirates shot 59 percent in the half, 55 percent for the game.Billy Garrett led the Blue Demons with 18 points and Myke Henry had 15.