The Bucks led by three. After being down by seven with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter, Milwaukee roared back to take the lead with five seconds left.
On a night in which the ball was humming and the energy was palpable, Bulls guard Alex Caruso knocked down a fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime and the United Center into a fervor.
“I don’t get the opportunity to shoot a lot because usually I’m the guy taking the ball out,” Caruso said. “I was excited that I got to shoot it tonight. I had a lot of turnovers, so I wanted to make sure that I didn’t lose the game.”
Without Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls’ young players stepped into more prominent roles against a team many predict will make the NBA Finals, and they delivered. The Bulls won 120-113 to snap a five-game losing streak.
With their team’s uncertain future, Bulls fans got a glimpse of the roster they might be watching in the second half of the season.
Center Nikola Vucevic was the focal point, and guard Dalen Terry and rookie Julian Phillips made cameo appearances. Vucevic, who scored 29, had his first 20-point game since Nov. 13.
“It’s big for us at this moment with the way the season’s been going where we haven’t really played good basketball and losing by pretty big margins the last couple of games,” Vucevic said. ‘‘It was great to do — especially against such a good team like Milwaukee — so we’ll take it, but, again, it’s one win, and we have to show we can do it again Saturday.”
After two subpar defensive performances, the Bulls showed the energy and pace that was missing of late.
They were flying around for offensive rebounds and closing out on corner threes — which coach Billy Donovan emphasized before the game — while also making the extra pass. They didn’t let the early 11-2 deficit snowball like they’ve seen in previous games.
“I give our guys credit,” Donovan said. “We kept hanging in the game and just kept playing the next possession, and there was some resiliency.”
Despite being short-handed, the Bulls played with energy. Whether it was Ayo Dosunmu fighting for extra opportunities, Andre Drummond snatching every rebound in sight, Patrick Williams hammering home two thunderous dunks or guys making the extra pass, the Bulls played with selflessness and fight.
They contested layup attempts at the rim and made things difficult for Bucks superstars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Offensively, the ball was moving as the Bulls had a season-high 32 assists. They outrebounded the Bucks 51-43
Dosunmu was excellent down the stretch. He saved an errant Vucevic pass from going out of bounds, tipped away a rebound from Bucks guard Malik Beasley and stole a pass that turned into a basket for the Bulls.
“Those are winning plays that need to be made, and when you’re in a drought and losing, those plays can be hard to make because you’re in a drought, but I just wanted to have the mindset of, no matter what, try to win,” Dosunmu said.
The Bulls got a glimpse into the future against Milwaukee: Each young player had a moment in the game. Williams hit a clutch midrange jumper, Coby White (23 points)had a deep three-pointer to give the Bulls a seven-point lead late and Dosunmu came up with several steals and rebounds.
If change is on the horizon, it won’t always be like this. There will be lulls and growing pains throughout a season, but the young players brought an energy and spirit that had been missing for too long.
