Bulls 81, Bucks 72: Carlos Boozer returned from a two-game absence with 19 points and 13 rebounds and Mike Dunleavy scored 18 on 6-of-10 shooting as visiting Chicago held off Milwaukee for its fourth straight win.

Taj Gibson chipped in 12 points off the bench and Jimmy Butler added 10 for the Bulls, who have won the last eight meetings in Milwaukee dating to 2009. Joakim Noah finished eight points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

O.J. Mayo scored 16 off the bench to lead the Bucks, who have dropped four straight and 12 of 14. Luke Ridnour had 14 points and eight assists and Ersan Ilyasova also scored 14 as Milwaukee shot 31.8 percent overall and 7-for-21 from 3-point range.

Chicago started the third quarter with a 12-2 spurt to stretch its lead to 12 and had it as large as 69-54 after D.J. Augustin's 3-pointer in the final minute of the period. The Bucks clawed back into it with a 12-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters and pulled within 73-72 before missing their last 11 shots and being held scoreless over the final five-plus minutes.

The Bucks hit four of their first seven shots and raced out to a 10-1 lead, but they couldn't keep the Bulls off the foul line. Chicago went to the line 28 times in the first half and outscored Milwaukee 22-4 at the stripe en route to a 47-45 halftime advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Gibson injured his wrist in the first quarter and Butler suffered a bruised quad late in the third, but both were able to return. … The Bucks' 20 fouls in the first half were their most in any half since Nov. 24, 2008, at Orlando. … The Bulls improved to 74-9 over the past four seasons when holding opponents under 90 points, including 13-5 this season.