Dunleavy scores 20, Bulls clobber Bucks 120-66 to advance

Bulls clobber Bucks 120-66 to advance

Associated Press

MILWAUKEE — The Chicago Bulls finally delivered a knockout blow to the Milwaukee Bucks — not literally, although it sure seemed to come close at times. And for all of Chicago’s star power, it was Mike Dunleavy in the middle of it all.

Dunleavy scored 20 points and the Bulls came close to an NBA playoff record, finally putting away the Bucks with a 120-66 victory in Game 6 to clinch their first-round series Thursday night.

Dunleavy seemed to have his biggest impact away from the ball, getting under the young Bucks skins with physical play that drew retaliation.

“They had some momentum in the series, won a couple in a row,” Dunleavy said. “We came out on their court and put it on them. That’s frustrating. If anybody’s been there before, that’s frustrating, and I understand that.”

The Bulls, who move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, finished four points from the NBA playoff record for largest margin of victory. Minnesota beat St. Louis 133-75 on March 19, 1956.

“It looks a lot better when the ball goes in,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “The thing that you want to make sure of is, sometimes you don’t have control over when the ball goes in or doesn’t go in. If they are the right shots, you want to shoot them. You do have control over your intensity, your concentration.”

The game was over early, but it still featured plenty of the intensity and bad blood that marked the first five games of the series. Dunleavy drew the foul that led to the ejection of Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo for a flagrant 2 foul just before halftime.

Pau Gasol scored 19 points and Jimmy Butler added 16 for the Bulls, who started the series with a 3-0 lead before two straight wins by the defensive-minded Bucks put them back in position to tie it. Derrick Rose scored 15 points and all five Chicago starters were in double figures.

“It was definitely a tough battle all series,” Joakim Noah of the Bulls said. “To just win like that is exactly what you needed. You go into the next series with a lot of confidence. We had to do a lot of soul searching this series.”

In an indication of Milwaukee’s misery on offense, no Bucks starter scored more than ZaZa Pachulia’s eight points. It was the biggest playoff loss in team history. The Bucks lost by 36 points at New York in 1970.

The Bucks were 25 of 76 from the field (32.9 percent) while Chicago was 46 of 90 (51.1 percent).

Antetokounmpo was ejected after a hard foul on Dunleavy during a 3-point attempt that sent him crashing into the front row of fans with 1:34 left in the second quarter. After a review, officials ruled it a flagrant 2.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to take a hard foul,” Dunleavy said. “We’ve all been there. There’s a time and a place for it.”

It may have been a reaction to a hand to the face that Dunleavy gave Antetokounmpo a little earlier in the game — an incident similar to contact between Dunleavy’s arm and Michael Carter-Williams’ face near the beginning of the game.

Bucks coach Jason Kidd called it a learning experience for Antetokounmpo, adding that “it wasn’t very smart.”

“He kind of got under our guys’ skins,” Pachulia said. “Especially he picked the young guys, he picked the right guys, and unfortunately our guys responded and we got hurt. But they’re going to learn from it.”

Dunleavy and Carter-Williams tangled again in the third quarter. Dunleavy bumped Carter-Williams, and Carter-Williams retaliated by swinging his left arm and sending Dunleavy to the court. Dunleavy was called for an offensive foul, and Carter-Williams earned a technical. Dunleavy played for the Bucks for two seasons before joining the Bulls in 2013-14.

It was a rough end to a successful season for the Bucks, who were the league’s worst team in 2013-14 but turned it around to earn the No. 6 playoff season under Kidd.

“They’re not a secret anymore,” Kidd said. “They’ve got to get better if they want to compete against the best.”

The Bucks were never really in this one, though, trailing 34-16 at the end of the first quarter and 65-33 at the half.

“We got better,” Kidd said. “The whole experience of being in the playoffs, you can’t take that away from those guys, no matter if you lose by 40 or you lose by one. It’s a loss. That’s it. You move on.”

Oklahoma City Thunder hire Florida’s Billy Donovan as coach

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Thunder hired Florida’s Billy Donovan as their coach Thursday, hoping he will help the franchise win an NBA championship in Oklahoma City.

“We warmly welcome Billy and his family to Oklahoma City,” team chairman Clayton Bennett said. “He is the perfect fit for our organization and for our community, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship.”

The 49-year-old Donovan led Florida to two national championships, four Final Fours, seven Elite Eights and 14 NCAA Tournament berths in 19 years. He signed a one-year contract extension with the Gators in December that would have paid him an average salary of $4 million through 2020.

But, eight years after leaving Florida to coach the Orlando Magic and then changing his mind the following day, Donovan is back in the NBA. It’s not likely he’ll head back to Gainesville this time — he inherits 2013-14 MVP Kevin Durant and 2014-15 scoring champion Russell Westbrook.

“I am honored and humbled to be named the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Donovan said. “I knew that it would take a unique opportunity to leave the University of Florida, and that is clearly how I look at this situation.”

Donovan replaces Scott Brooks, who was fired last week.

The pressure will be on Donovan immediately. Brooks went 338-207 (.620) in seven seasons with the Thunder and was the 2009-10 NBA Coach of the Year. Starting in 2010-11, he led the team to the Western Conference finals three out of four years, and the franchise reached the NBA Finals in 2012.

This season, a broken right foot limited Durant to 27 games and right knee surgery kept defensive stalwart Serge Ibaka out for the final month of the season. Westbrook posted nine triple-doubles after the All-Star break while trying to salvage the season, but the Thunder were knocked out of the playoff race on the final night of the regular season. Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka spoke highly of Brooks during exit interviews.

Now, Donovan will have to prove he can coach at the NBA level, win over the fans, help Durant feel comfortable enough to re-sign instead of testing free agency and help the franchise that moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season break through and win a title.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti believes Donovan has what it takes to move the franchise forward.

“His emotional intelligence, commitment to the concept of team and relentless approach to incremental improvement have allowed him to bring his players together and establish lasting relationships through competitive success,” Presti said.

Donovan already had strong ties to the Oklahoma City franchise. Former Florida assistant Mark Daigneault was hired as Oklahoma City’s D-League coach last year, while former Florida video coordinator Oliver Winterbone is a scout with the Thunder. Presti and Donovan have had a lasting relationship.

Donovan talked with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers about openings before last season, but decided to stay at Florida. Last season, the Gators finished 16-17 and missed the postseason for the first time since 1997. Three players have already left the program in what many believed was a house cleaning.

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said the school will miss Donovan.

“While we are certainly extremely sad to see Billy go, the primary feeling I have is one of gratitude for what he has done here at Florida,” Foley said in a statement. “Billy and Florida basketball have been synonymous for a long time now, and our program would not have reached the heights it has without him.”