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Butler, Bulls battle their way to 2-0 series lead

It's great to have Derrick Rose back, but don't forget who led the Bulls in scoring this season.

Jimmy Butler, a strong candidate for the league's most improved player award, turned an ugly, defensive struggle into a 2-0 series lead by scoring 17 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter Monday night at the United Center.

Butler's offensive flurry sparked a decisive 13-0 run as the Bulls beat Milwaukee 91-82 in Game 2 of this first-round playoff series. The Bulls will take a 2-0 lead into Thursday's Game 3 at the Bradley Center.

Rose used to be the Bulls' only hope down the stretch in close games. After this victory, Butler pointed out the advantages of having more than one late-game scorer.

“Everybody pays attention to (Rose) probably more than they pay attention to me,” Butler said. “All I have to do is hit shots or get to the cup or get to the free-throw line. All because of him and Pau (Gasol) and Jo (Noah), I think I have a pretty easy job.”

This game featured a very slow start — 11 points by the Bulls in the first quarter — and a couple of playoff-caliber scuffles. Unfortunately for the Bulls, 6-foot-10 rookie Nikola Mirotic limped away from the second scuffle favoring his left leg. The Bulls called his injury a left-quad strain and said he will be evaluated Tuesday morning.

Mirotic was chasing a long rebound when he was struck by Bucks guard O.J. Mayo and it appeared that maybe the initial collision caused the injury. As the ball bounced free, Mirotic went to the floor to battle Milwaukee center Zaza Pachulia for possession.

Pachulia threw his head back and struck Mirotic in the face. That blow created some concern that Mirotic may also have a concussion, but there was no official word after the game. The two players exchanged shoves, and Pachulia was ejected with 2:48 remaining with his second technical foul.

Pachulia's first technical happened about a minute earlier when he hit Mirotic in the back of the head with a forearm as the two fought for rebounding position. That blow left Mirotic rubbing his head.

The game's first scuffle happened in the second quarter when Aaron Brooks was knocked over by Bucks center John Henson near midcourt. When Henson stood over Brooks, the Bulls took exception and some mild jawing ensued. Brooks was called for a foul and four players earned technicals — Noah, Butler. Mayo and Henson.

“It was just playoff basketball,” Noah said.

This would have been a painful loss for the Bulls if Butler didn't find his shooting touch. Milwaukee led 74-71 with 9:53 remaining after Mayo hit a couple of jumpers.

At that point in the game, Butler was 0-for-6 from 3-point range. But he finally connected on a tying 3-pointer, which launched the 13-0 run.

Butler also finished a monster dunk while getting hit in the face by Pachulia for a 3-point play and drained a corner 3-pointer to make it 84-74 with 6:15 remaining.

“Jo and Derrick were telling me to score the ball, literally telling me to shoot, not to pass up any shots,” Butler said. “I was feeling it a little bit, so I just put the ball in the basket.”

Rose got off to a rough start, missing all 7 of his shots in the first half. In the third quarter, though, he connected on his first shot, knocked down a couple of 3-pointers and scored 12 points.

The Bulls piled up a 64-48 rebounding advantage. Noah grabbed 19 boards, while Gasol collected 16.

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Images: Bulls take game two over Bucks, 91-82

Minutes restrictions go out the window in playoffs

Three keys to Game 2:

1. Butler delivers: Someone needed to break open this defensive struggle, and Jimmy Butler came through. He scored 17 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls pulled away late.

2. Bored with boards: The Bulls set a franchise playoff record with 64 rebounds Monday. Joakim Noah grabbed 19 and Pau Gasol had 16.

3. Scuffling crew: This game saw the first skirmishes of the postseason. The first one was in the second quarter when Aaron Brooks collided with John Henson near midcourt. Then Nikola Mirotic and Zaza Pachulia exchanged shoves in the fourth.

— Mike McGraw

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