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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Sam Cassell's career night included the shot of
a lifetime.
|  | | Bulls head coach Tim Floyd listens to Elton Brand, right, during a timeout Saturday. |
Cassell had a career-best 40 points in Milwaukee's 126-122
double-overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
His fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer sent the game into a second
overtime, tied at 110.
Cassell grabbed Lindsey Hunter's missed 3-pointer, spun and raced
back beyond the stripe before spinning and firing away as he fell
backward.
Swish!
"I didn't have too much time," Cassell said. "I just located
the basket and it went in."
Ray Allen, who scored 27 and fouled out 10 seconds earlier, said
he knew what was going to happen when Cassell got the rebound.
"Sam was feeling it all night," Allen said.
Cassell was lucky to be around to perform his heroics, however.
He picked up his fifth personal foul on a charge with 2:38 left
in the fourth quarter and was whistled for a technical after
slamming the basketball on the floor and yelling at the officials.
Teammate Mark Pope ran over in front of the Bulls' bench and
pulled Cassell away before he could be ejected.
"Sam is an emotional player," Bucks coach George Karl said.
"The technical foul could have hurt us. You can't hold Sam back,
though. He knows how to deal with referees."
Glenn Robinson added 31 points as the Central Division-leading
Bucks snapped a two-game losing streak just before leaving on a
five-game road trip.
Fred Hoiberg had career highs with 28 points and 13 assists for
the Bulls, who nearly pulled off their second upset in two days.
They beat the New York Knicks 81-72 Friday night.
"We had the game," said Elton Brand, who led the Bulls with a
season-high 31 points. "It came down to a missed boxout assignment
on Lindsey Hunter's 3 and Sam Cassell hitting an amazing shot."
Robinson scored on a jumper with 31.4 seconds left in the second
overtime that gave Milwaukee a 123-122 lead. After Michael Ruffin
missed two free throws for Chicago, Darvin Ham, in his second game
since returning from a broken foot, sank two foul shots for a
125-122 lead.
Ron Artest missed a 3-pointer, and Ham was fouled again, hitting
one of two free throws for the final score.
"This type of game shows the talent level in the NBA," Ham
said. "Chicago's record may not show it, but they took us to the
brink tonight."
Artest's dunk with 10 seconds left in the first overtime gave
the Bulls at 110-107 lead before Cassell sent it into the second
overtime.
"Cassell was outstanding down the stretch," Bulls coach Tim
Floyd said. "We didn't have any answer for him. That shot he hit
was outstanding."
The game was tied at 95 after regulation.
The last time the teams met, on Feb. 20 in Chicago, Robinson and
Artest were ejected for fighting. They didn't come close to
fisticuffs Saturday night. On one drive in the first half, Artest
backed off Robinson, who blew past him and two other Bulls in the
lane for a nifty reverse layup.
The Bulls played with a looseness that's been uncommon in their
dreary season. Their upset of the Knicks a night earlier gave them
their 10th victory, assuring the record for the worst season in NBA
history -- Philadelphia's 9-73 mark in 1972-73 -- was safe for
another year.
"We were one shot away from winning several times," Floyd
said. "I'm proud of our guys, with the second game of a
back-to-back and playing 58 minutes."
Karl called it a "hell of a shootout."
"Fortunately, Sam made a great shot that gave us a chance to
win," Karl said.
Game notes
Ham made his first start since November. He returned from a
broken foot last week that cost him 53 games. ... The Bucks haven't
lost three straight since Nov. 18-25, when they lost a season-high
four consecutive games as part of their 3-9 start. ... Bucks forward Tim
Thomas missed his second straight game with a sore lower back and forward
Jason Caffey (flu) left in the first quarter.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Chicago Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
RECAPS
LA Lakers 98
Vancouver 88
Dallas 100
Houston 95
Milwaukee 126
Chicago 122
San Antonio 124
Atlanta 95
Phoenix 97
Denver 82
Portland 122
Golden State 91
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