Bucks vs. Bulls Game 5 results: 3 things we learned in Milwaukee’s season-saving win

The Bucks aren't done yet. Milwaukee went into Chicago and extended their season with a 94-88 victory over the Bulls on Monday night in Game 5. The series now moves back to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Thursday, with the Bulls still holding a 3-2 series lead. The winner gets a date with Cleveland in the second round.

Milwaukee got a brilliant effort from Michael Carter-Williams, who finished with 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. Khris Middleton paced the Bucks in the first half with 15 points and finished with 21 on the night. Giannis Antetokounmpo and O.J. Mayo also scored in double-figures for Milwaukee.

Chicago struggled to shoot from deep all night. Mike Dunleavy is typically the team's most reliable outside shooter, but he was held scoreless for the game. As a team, Chicago only made 4-of-22 three-pointers and shot a lowly 34.4 percent from the floor on the night.

Derrick Rose also struggled badly for Chicago for the second straight game. Rose turned the ball over six times and finished the night with just 13 points on 5-of-20 shooting.

1. Tom Thibodeau needs to maximize his front court rotations

The Bulls have a deep and talented front court, but one of the team's biggest problems all season has been a failure to find the right pairings. Chicago struggled badly at the start of the game and the beginning of the second half with Joakim Noah starting next to Pau Gasol. That's no coincidence. It's been happening all season.

Bulls start the 3rd 0/6 after starting the game 0/8.

— Jeff Mangurten (@JeffGurt) April 28, 2015

Noah struggled to finish at the rim, particularly in the second half. Gasol put up impressive numbers again, but his defense was poor throughout the night. Taj Gibson played well but only saw 15 minutes. This has been an issue for the Bulls all season, and it sure seems like they aren't beating the Cavs until it's solved.

The Bucks were never supposed to be here. A year ago, they finished with a league-worst 15 wins. Much of the optimism for this season went out the window when No. 2 draft pick Jabari Parker suffered a season-ending knee injury and the team traded point guard Brandon Knight, who was enjoying a breakout year. Still, Jason Kidd has this team playing tough at the right time and it showed through this series.

It's long been accepted that Eastern Conference basketball is an inferior product, and that's once again proving to be the case in the playoffs. The top-seeded Hawks have lost back-to-back games to the Nets and now that series is tied. The Cavs swept the Celtics but now Kevin Love is out for the entirety of the second round and J.R. Smith is suspended for two games. It's clear the Bulls aren't right, either.

Right now, the only team in the East who has to be feeling good about itself is the Washington Wizards. Who would have guessed that two weeks ago?