MILWAUKEE -- Having squandered two opportunities to close down their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series, the Chicago Bulls wasted little time Thursday night and crushed the Milwaukee Bucks 120-66 in front of a stunned sellout crowd of 18,717 at the Bradley Center.

The Game 6 margin was the largest ever in an NBA playoff-series clincher, and it was the fourth-largest in postseason history.

Chicago was in complete control from the opening tip. The Bulls led by as many as 18 in the first quarter, 32 at halftime and 40 early in the third quarter.

The Bulls shot 51.1 percent from the field, made 13 of 50 from beyond the arc and scored 23 points off 18 Milwaukee turnovers, setting a franchise record for largest postseason margin of victory.

Forward Mike Dunleavy led the Bulls with 20 and forward Pau Gasol added 19.

Center Zaza Pachulia scored eight points to lead Milwaukee, which was riding high after a double-overtime near-miss in Game 3 and a surprising road victory in Game 5. But they came out flat Thursday.

While the Bulls shot the lights out, the Bucks hit 39 percent from the field in the first quarter and had only 33 points at halftime, one short of the franchise playoff low for a half.

The 54-point loss was the worst in franchise history.

The series between the longtime Central Division rivals had been chippy from the start, but things escalated quickly and early in Game 6.

The Bucks played most of the first quarter without point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who took a shove to the face from Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy. They also lost forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was ejected with 1:34 left in the first half for shoving Dunleavy.

Next up for the Bulls is a second-round matchup with another Central Division foe -- LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been resting since finishing a four-game sweep of the Boston Celtics last Sunday.

NOTES: The Bucks were trying to become the fourth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after losing the first three games of a playoff series. The 1951 Knicks, the 1994 Nuggets and 2003 Trailblazers all rallied to tie their series at 3-3, but no NBA team has ever won a series after falling behind 3-0. ... Chicago is 24-1 all time in playoffs series after taking a 2-0 lead. ... The Bulls held the Bucks to 24 or fewer points in 13 of the 20 quarters during the series' first five games. ... Chicago had assists on 126 of 173 baskets during the postseason. ... PG Michael Carter-Williams was in the Bucks' starting lineup. He rolled an ankle late in Game 5 but returned to finish the game and reported no problems after practice Tuesday and Wednesday.