MILWAUKEE — Mike Dunleavy scored a team-high 20 points as the Chicago Bulls cruised to a 120-66 drubbing of the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday to reach the second round of the NBA playoffs. The Bulls easily eliminated the Bucks in game six, beating them so soundly that their 54-point win margin was the third largest in NBA postseason history. They advance to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Bulls win was just four points shy of the 133-75 shellacking Minnesota delivered to St. Louis in 1956. It was also the most lopsided postseason game for both franchises. In the other playoff contest Thursday, Blake Griffin finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Spurs in San Antonio 102-96 to avoid elimination and force game seven in their first-round Western Conference series. Bulls star Derrick Rose tallied 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds and was given the fourth quarter off with the game sewn up. Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler scored 19 and 16 points, respectively, and Joakim Noah finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Bucks made it a competitive series with two straight wins after going down 3-0. But they trailed from start to finish and showed little fight except to land a few cheap shots that resulted in technical fouls and ejections. Dunleavy was on the wrong end of a Giannis Antetokounmpo body check late in the second quarter. Chicago was leading by 30 when a frustrated Antetokounmpo hammered Dunleavy as he was shooting a three-pointer. Dunleavy made the shot despite being blind-sided. Antetokounmpo was ejected and had to watch the rest of the blowout from the locker room. All 13 players scored for coach Jason Kidd's team, with Zaza Pachulia's eight points leading the way. Milwaukee turned the ball over 18 times. An already action-packed North American sports Saturday, featuring the Kentucky Derby and Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao super fight, now gets a Spurs-Clippers winner-take-all contest. Before losing Thursday, the Spurs had finished off seven straight playoff opponents at home since losing a Game Seven to the Dallas Mavericks in 2006. Guards J.J. Redick and Chris Paul scored 19 apiece for the Clippers. Paul, who added 15 assists, scored 15 in the second half, including a basket that gave the Clippers a 98-93 lead with 21 seconds remaining. Los Angeles center DeAndre Jordan contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds. Reserve guard Marco Belinelli led the Spurs with 23 points. Belinelli was lethal from long range. He made seven three-point baskets, one of them that left the Spurs trailing by two with 14.5 seconds left. Backup guard Jamal Crawford secured the win for the Clippers by making two free throws with 10 seconds remaining. San Antonio reserve forward Boris Diaw supplemented Belinelli with 17 points, but the Spurs' starters struggled. Forwards Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard scored 12 points each, but Leonard hit just three of 15 shots from the field. Guard Tony Parker wasn't much better, making four of 12 shots and scoring eight point. Guard Danny Green went 3-for-9 in a seven-point effort. — Agencies
