Chicago Bulls thrash Milwaukee Bucks to clinch series win

The Chicago Bulls crushed the Milwaukee Bucks 120-66 in game six of their first-round playoff series, sending them through to the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

The visitors opened up a massive lead by the end of the first quarter, outscoring their opponents 34-16 with Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson both adding a string of shots early on.

Mike Dunleavy kept the points coming before the interval, leaving Chicago 32 points ahead at half time as Milwaukee struggled to get their offense going.

There was a further blow for the hosts before the interval as Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled Dunleavy, resulting in the small forward being ejected.

The gap continued to grow in the second half as the Bulls closed in on a record playoff-winning margin, with all five of the team's starters finishing with double figures, but they fell just four short of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 58-point winning margin in 1956.

The Bulls will face Cleveland in the second round of the post-season.