Bucks win to stay alive

MICHAEL Carter-Williams had 22 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three blocks as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the host Chicago Bulls, 94-88, to stave off elimination in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series last night.

The Bucks are now 2-3 in the series. The 3-2 Bulls, led by Pau Gasol's 25 points and 10 rebounds, will try to close it out Thursday at Milwaukee.

In another game:

* At Brooklyn, Deron Williams rebounded from two dismal games with 35 points, and the Brooklyn Nets pulled out a 120-115 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks, tying the series at two games apiece.

Jeff Teague had 20 points and 11 assists for the Hawks, who host Game 5 tomorrow.

* Cleveland starting forward Kevin Love has been ruled out for the team's next playoff series - and perhaps longer - after dislocating his left shoulder in Sunday's win to sweep the Boston Celtics.

Love was injured when Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk clamped down on his arm. The league suspended Olynyk for next season's first game.

The Cavs will begin their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the winner of the Bucks-Bulls series without starting guard J.R. Smith, suspended for two games without pay after committing a flagrant 2 foul - for smacking Boston's Jae Crowder - on Sunday. Finally, the league fined Cleveland's Kendrick Perkins $15,000 for a hard foul on Crowder.

* Memphis point guard Mike Conley had facial surgery after he was injured during Game 3 of the playoff series against Portland. He was inadvertently elbowed in the face by the Trail Blazers' CJ McCollum on Saturday night.

* Golden State's Steve Kerr won the Rudy Tomjanovich Award, given by the Professional Basketball Writers Association to the coach who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation with fans and media.