Noah and Gasol Become 1st Bulls Teammates with 15 Rebounds in Playoff Game

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah and forward Pau Gasol combined for 35 rebounds in Monday's 91-82 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the first teammates in franchise history to both record 15 or more boards in the same playoff game, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Noah led the way with a game-high 19 rebounds over 32 minutes, while Gasol chipped in another 16 over 34 minutes. Surprisingly, the two big men combined for just 17 points, as guard Jimmy Butler provided 31 of Chicago's 91 points in the low-scoring victory.

With Butler (nine rebounds), guard Derrick Rose (seven) and forward Mike Dunleavy (six) also having solid games on the boards, the Chicago starting lineup provided 57 rebounds, marking the most by a team's starters in a playoff win since the 1972-73 Boston Celtics got 59 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).

Of course, the gaudy rebounding numbers were largely the result of some excellent defense, with Chicago allowing Milwaukee to make just 32 of its 90 (35.6 percent) field-goal attempts.

The Bulls out-rebounded the Bucks 64-48, making up for a turnover differential of 13-4 in Milwaukee's favor.

Despite boasting a solid bench that's led by forwards Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson, the Bulls got just seven rebounds over a combined 56 minutes from their reserves in Monday's game.

The series will now head back to Milwaukee, where the sixth-seeded Bucks will try to dig their way out of a 2-0 hole against the heavily favored Bulls.