Here’s all you need to know about this shellacking.
With 9 minutes 51 seconds remaining, Charles Oakley fired an inbounds pass the length of the court that Jalen Rose never turned around to see.
The ball bounced out of bounds, giving the Bucks a possession they didn’t need. They had a 28-point lead at the time.
By the time this one ended, mercifully, the lead had grown to as large as 36. The Bucks settled for a 110-81 triumph, snapping a two-game losing streak before a crowd of 18,205 at the Bradley Center.
The defeat marked the largest in the 38-game tenure of Bill Cartwright and the Bulls’ seventh straight overall, also uncharted territory for Cartwright.
“I didn’t feel like we came ready to play,” Cartwright said. “It was a poor effort. Nobody played well. It was a team loss. It was a team abomination.”
The loss also marks the first seven-game skid of Rose’s career–at any level. Rose led the Bulls with 14 points in just 24 minutes–Cartwright rested his starters when it got out of hand–and released some frustration when he drew a fourth-quarter technical for slamming the ball off the floor.
“It’s going to be tough for him,” said former Bull Greg Anthony, now with Milwaukee. “His patience, more than anything, is going to be paramount to their success.
“You definitely want him to be enthusiastic in terms of being there and helping to develop those young players.”
The Bucks played without Tim Thomas (sprained right knee) and had Ray Allen and Sam Cassell rest nagging injuries after scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively, in limited minutes.
Michael Redd’s 21 points led Milwaukee, which closed the third quarter with a 20-2 run and held the Bulls without a field goal for 9:40 in the second half.
“We’re going to be a lottery team regardless of how you look at it,” Rose said. “But the thing about being a professional is you have to find a way to compete and take it personal, whether it’s baskets from the three-point line or dunks inside.
“You have to find a way to stay next to your guy and play with some pride. That just comes with maturity.”
The Bulls were outrebounded 49-36 and shot just 40.8 percent.
“It was like a cookout,” Oakley said. “They had everything–barbecue chicken, wing dings, shrimp cocktail, potato salad, chips and dip. They had a party. We just watched it.”
