Nocioni stars as Bulls best Bucks

Ben Gordon poured in 20 points and Luol Deng had 19 with nine rebounds for the Bulls, who have won three straight contests. Kirk Hinrich contributed 16 points and dished out nine assists while Ben Wallace pulled down 10 boards in the win.

Chicago finished 49 percent shooting in the game.

Ersan Ilyasova netted a career-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds for the Bucks, who have lost seven of their last nine. Earl Boykins added 17 points and Ruben Patterson recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards in defeat.

Chicago pulled away in the fourth with a 20-3 burst for a 87-76 cushion with five minutes to play. During the run, Milwaukee shot a terrible 1-for-13 from the field with the only points coming on Ilyasova’s trey at the 7:38 mark.

The Bulls then cruised the rest of the way, outscoring the Bucks 32-17 in the frame.

After Mike Sweetney’s layup made it 26-22 in favor of the Bulls late in the first, Milwaukee went on a 9-0 spurt for a five-point edge after one.

Things remained tight in the second, with the Bucks leading by as many as six, 48-42, on a Patterson lay-in with 3 1/2 minutes left. Boykins then hit a trey for a 51-46 lead moments later, but Hinrich responded with the same to cut Chicago’s deficit to two at halftime.

Brian Skinner’s hook shot gave Milwaukee, which never trailed in the third, a 65-57 lead at the 4:35 mark while the Bulls closed within six, 73-67, when Tyrus Thomas hit both free throws at the end of the quarter.

Game Notes

Skinner scored 12 points and grabbed eight boards for Milwaukee while Charlie Bell had 10 points...Milwaukee shot 39 percent from the floor...The Bulls shot 33 percent from three-point range...The Bucks were 56 percent from beyond the arc...Chicago is 3-0 against Milwaukee this season and has won five of the last six meetings.