CHICAGO (AP) -- Glenn Robinson beat up on one of the Chicago Bulls, and Ray Allen took care of the rest of them.

Allen scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday night in the Milwaukee Bucks' 101-92 victory over the Bulls. But the game was marred by an ugly scuffle between Robinson and Chicago forward Ron Artest in the third quarter.

"I think that was the turning point, because I got it going a little bit," Allen said.

With approximately 5:35 left in the third, Artest and Robinson were jockeying for position near the Bucks' basket when Robinson threw an elbow that hit Artest in the stomach. Artest wrapped his arms around Robinson's shoulders and pulled him to the floor from behind.

The two scuffled, trading punches and kicks before being separated after several minutes. Calm was finally restored after about five minutes.

Both players were given technical fouls and were ejected. Artest also received a flagrant foul.

Team officials accompanied both players to their locker room to make sure there wasn't another run-in. Robinson also was escorted out of the locker room after the game, and he refused to comment.

As for Artest, he was sorry the whole mess ever happened.

"We were just being aggressive all game, we were being competitive all game and I might have blown it out of proportion," Artest said. "I was just trying to play hard. I think I overreacted."

This is the second time the two players have clashed. Robinson was ejected during a game in Chicago last year for a hard foul on Artest.

But Artest said there's no problem between the two.

"I admire him," Artest said. "I saw him out one time and I told him I want to play like him."

Chicago seemed energized by the scuffle at first. Elton Brand sandwiched an 8-foot jumper between free throws by Brad Miller and Fred Hoiberg to give the Bulls a 72-59 lead, their largest of the game, with 2:49 left in the third. But the Bulls couldn't maintain the momentum.

Allen wouldn't let them.

"I think the altercation got us pumped up a little bit," Milwaukee coach George Karl said. "And I think Ray did a great job of scoring."

That he did. He drilled a 3-pointer with 9:56 left to start a 21-4 run that gave the Bucks control of the game. Allen scored 15 points during the spurt, which gave Milwaukee a 93-82 lead with 4:58.

The Bulls didn't give themselves much help, going scoreless for almost four minutes before Hoiberg hit back-to-back long jumpers. But Chicago also was without Ron Mercer (sprained ankle) and Artest, their second- and third-leading scorers.

"The fourth-quarter woes definitely continued tonight," said Brand, who had the first 20-20 game of his career with 22 points and 21 rebounds.

"I was pretty sure we'd win this one."

Not with Allen playing like he did. He also had 11 rebounds for the Bucks and four assists.

"I thought that was one of my better games, but I didn't think I did anything out of the ordinary," Allen said. "Made some shots, got to the basket."

Sam Cassell added 20 points for the Bucks, and Jason Caffey had 14 points and 11 rebounds against his former team. Robinson finished with six points and four rebounds.

Miller scored a season-high 20 points and added eight rebounds for Chicago.

Both teams were playing for the second straight night, but the Bulls didn't look nearly as tired as the Bucks early on. Milwaukee went nearly five minutes without a field goal midway through the second quarter and then two minutes without scoring anything at the end of the half.

The Bulls, meanwhile, were on a roll. Brand and Marcus Fizer scored four points each during a 10-0 run, and Bryce Drew knocked down a 16-footer with less than a second left to give Chicago a 53-42 lead at halftime.

"We have to blame ourselves for the poor start, not anything Chicago did," Caffey said. "We didn't come out with the intensity we needed. They got up on us early, and that just helped to build their confidence. Then Ray really pick up it up later. That's what makes him an All-Star."

Game notes
At least this game was closer than the last one between the Bucks and Bulls. On Jan. 2, the Bucks routed the Bulls 104-70, Milwaukee's largest margin of victory in their 33-year series. ... Let other people try and figure his team out, Milwaukee coach George Karl has stopped trying. "I refuse to say I'm an expert on my team. They mystify me," he said. "They consistently amaze me. But I'm not sure I understand them." ... Both Karl and Bulls coach Tim Floyd said they don't expect to see a lot of activity before Thursday night's trading deadline.

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