Milwaukee (29-36) lost for the seventh time in nine games, falling 117-102 on Friday in Chicago. The result also dropped the Bucks one game behind the Bulls, who now own the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Richard Jefferson scored 27 points, Luc Mbah a Moute added a career-high 21 and Ramon Sessions had 20 and 11 assists for Milwaukee, which trailed by 16 in the second quarter and got within three in the fourth before the Bulls pulled away.

"We're digging ourselves way too big a hole," said Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles, whose team is shooting 40.4 percent in its last three games.

Without injured stars Michael Redd (knee) and Andrew Bogut (back), Jefferson continues to pace the Bucks, averaging 18.6 points this season and 24.0 in his last five games. He had 17 in the Bucks' 119-96 loss at Golden State on Dec. 10.

Charlie Villanueva added 19 points with 12 rebounds Friday, and is averaging 21.6 points in his last 24 games since re-entering the starting lineup. Villanueva is averaging just 8.3 points in six games against Golden State.

Milwaukee hasn't dropped four straight since Nov. 24-29. Three losses came on the road and the last one was against Central Division-leading Cleveland.

Returning to the Bradley Center, however, could help the Bucks, who are 18-12 there and where they will play 11 of their final 17. That could be important as Milwaukee tries to remain in the mix for its first playoff berth since 2005-06.

The home stretch, however, is daunting with upcoming matchups against playoff-hopeful New York followed by New Orleans, Boston, Orlando and Portland.

Beating Golden State (21-41) won't be an easy task for the Bucks. The Warriors are 6-26 on the road, but have won three of their last four in Milwaukee, including a 119-99 victory on Jan. 19, 2008.

Injuries, though, could prevent Golden State from continuing that success. The Warriors had just eight players available in a 108-91 loss at Detroit on Friday.

"We got into a gun fight and we had a knife," said Golden State coach Don Nelson after his team shot 5-for-23 in the first quarter and 38.4 percent for the game.

Stephen Jackson (hamstring) and Corey Maggette (ankle) - the Warriors top two scorers - missed the game and are questionable for this contest. It's also uncertain if leading rebounder Andris Biedrins will be in the lineup after not playing against Detroit because of personal reasons.

Jamal Crawford scored 25 points for Golden State, which lost for the fifth time in six games. He bounced back after totaling 22 points in his previous two contests.

Crawford has scored five combined points on 2-for-14 shooting in his last two games versus the Bucks.