Rose takes a spill, but Bulls win again
The game was essentially over. Bulls guard Derrick Rose could have pulled the ball out, killed some clock and tossed up a meaningless long-range shot.
Instead, he did what has always come naturally: He attacked the basket with intensity and that decision might prove costly.
The play happened with just less than two minutes left in the Bulls' 92-73 victory over Indiana on Monday night at the United Center.
As Rose left the ground, he was fouled from behind by Pacers guard T.J. Ford. Then guard Brandon Rush slid underneath in a late and futile attempt to draw a charging foul.
Rose was knocked off balance and fell a long way to the floor. He put his arms out to avoid landing face first and ended up holding his right wrist in pain.
Most humans need to be riding a skateboard on a quarter pipe to suffer that kind of a nasty fall. Rose admitted feeling scared before starting his five-foot free fall without a parachute or landing pad.
“Yes, I thought it was going to be worse than that,” Rose said in the locker room. “It knocked the wind out of me. Most people when they jump that high, they usually get hurt pretty bad. Thank God I didn't break anything.”
After a timeout, Rose stayed in the game and hit 1 of the 2 ensuing free throws, but no Bulls fan in the building could rest easy.
The X-rays showed no break, and the wrist will be examined more thoroughly Tuesday. By the way, Rose also turned his left ankle with 5:30 remaining after stepping on teammate Taj Gibson's foot.
Watching Rose limp slowly across the locker room, then struggle to get dressed, it seemed likely he might have to miss Wednesday's game at Toronto, if not more. Last year he sat for eight days after falling hard on his right wrist during a collision with Dwight Howard at Orlando.
“Coming down, I thought both of my wrists were going to be messed up,” Rose said. “But I just hit my one wrist and my elbow. It's very sore. I've probably got to get treatment all day tomorrow. But I'm going to try to fight through it.”
Rose did mention having some second thoughts about attacking the basket the way he did. Maybe he should have known better, because earlier in the game he received a technical for complaining about the lack of a foul call.
“If anything, next time be careful and learn from my mistakes, especially with that team,” Rose said.
Lost among the injury concerns was the Bulls (15-8) extending their winning streak to six games. Forward Carlos Boozer piled up 22 points and 18 rebounds. Rose finished with 17 points and 12 assists.
The Bulls also turned in another solid defensive performance, forcing Indiana to shoot just 35.7 percent from the field. After getting clobbered on the offensive boards in the first half, the Bulls recovered to finish with a 48-41 rebounding edge.
The Bulls started the game extremely fast, hitting 11 of their first 16 shots and taking an early 25-8 lead. Indiana (11-12) bounced back quickly and took the lead in the second quarter.
The home team never trailed in the second half, but the lead was just 73-69 with 6:31 remaining. The game-ending run began with Gibson keeping a missed free throw by teammate C.J. Watson alive, which led to a pair of foul shots by Gibson.
Boozer scored 2 straight baskets, then Rose added a pair to complete an 11-0 run and put the Bulls up 84-69 with less than three minutes left.
Mike McGraw's game tracker
<p><b>Unlucky No. 6: </b>The Bulls recorded their sixth straight win by launching a late 19-4 run to put away the pesky Pacers. But the biggest concern was the health of Derrick Rose, who turned his left ankle and later sprained his right wrist in a nasty fall with 1:56 remaining.</p>
<p><b>Two big nights: </b>Carlos Boozer delivered 22 points and 18 rebounds, Rose finished with 17 points and 12 assists, while the Bulls' improving defense forced Indiana to shoot 35.7 percent from the field. Pacers leading scorer Danny Granger sat out with a sprained ankle</p>
<p><b>Encore performance: </b>“He just says he's from the South Side of Chicago. He's used to playing like that.” Boozer on Rose finishing the game despite both of his fourth-quarter injuries.</p>