Rose was limited to 16 first half minutes due to foul trouble, but he scored 14 points in the third quarter as the Bulls extended a one point halftime lead and pulled away for their NBA-best 17th win of the season. Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds on the night, and Noah had his best game of the season with 15 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocked shots.
Brandon Jennings led the way for Milwaukee with 25 points, but after a 16 point outburst in the first quarter Rose held him to nine points on 4/14 shooting the rest of the way. Drew Gooden, starting at center for the injured Andrew Bogut (broken ankle), scored 23 points and added 15 rebounds and a team-high six assists.
The Bulls were playing without injured starters Luol Deng and Rip Hamilton, but they overcame a slow start to defeat the Bucks in their final home game before embarking on a nine-game road trip. Their 17-4 record is the best in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks, who saw their record fall to 7-11, are now winless in six games this season when Bogut doesn't play. Milwaukee forward Jon Leuer, a rookie out of Wisconsin, had a career-high 19 points on 9/11 shooting after not playing in the first half.
On the Net:
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