Like sunsets, a page-turning novel and the holiday season, all good things must come to an end, and so it was for the Bulls on Sunday night at the Bradley Center.
The Bulls’ first five-game winning streak in more than six years came to a crashing thud thanks to a deluge of Redd–Bucks guard Michael Redd.
Responding to a off performance in his last game, the All-Star guard scored a season-high 39 points, including a three-point play with 23.3 seconds remaining that sealed Milwaukee’s 99-92 victory.
Redd’s 13-foot jumper came with rookie Ben Gordon draped all over him, but Redd was an equal-opportunity scorcher.
He hit his first six shots over Kirk Hinrich, the Bulls’ best perimeter defender, and had 14 of his 20 first-quarter points in the first 5 minutes 59 seconds.
All of this came after Redd scored a season-low four points in Wednesday night’s home loss to Portland, the Bucks’ fifth straight loss.
Milwaukee has now won 13 consecutive home games against the Bulls.
That the Bulls were even in it down the stretch is a testament to the gritty play that defined this winning streak.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 18 and were down 61-52 at halftime despite shooting 60.6 percent. That’s because they allowed 11 offensive rebounds and committed 12 of their 17 turnovers.
Three times in the final 5:54, the Bulls made it a one-possession game, poised to take their first lead since the 4:24 mark of the first quarter.
But Gordon, who led the Bulls with 19 points, committed a turnover on one possession and missed shots on the other two, including a layup that went in and out with the Bulls down 93-90.
“I had a couple of good looks that I usually hit, but I didn’t follow through on my shot,” Gordon said. “I wasn’t concentrating as much as I usually do.”
