Hamilton erupts for 18 third-quarter points in Bulls' win
The Bulls didn't expect Derrick Rose to be sidelined again, just two days after returning from a groin injury.
But they still delivered some payback to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, thanks to a surprise guest — the Richard Hamilton of old. Hamilton scored 18 of his team-high 20 points in the third quarter as the Bulls rolled to a 98-86 victory at the United Center.
Rose sprained his right ankle in the second quarter of Sunday's overtime loss at New York and the Bulls decided to rest him as a precaution for the rematch.
“He's feeling pretty good,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I just think it was the smart thing to do in this situation. He wanted to play and we felt it was best that he didn't.”
Hamilton has had trouble getting going this season. He's missed 38 games with various injuries and has been playing limited minutes since returning last week from a bruised right shoulder.
The longtime Pistons guard looked more like his old self in the third quarter when he hit 6 of 10 shots from the field. He also dished out 5 assists.
“We all thought Sunday's game we didn't deserve to win,” Hamilton said. “We left a lot on the table that game. We felt they really got into us and took away our space and things like that. So tonight, we wanted to make a statement and be more aggressive than we were last game.”
Hamilton helped the Bulls (44-14) maintain a 12-point halftime lead and the game never got any closer in the fourth quarter. One highlight came when Bulls guard C.J. Watson came down on a fastbreak and had the ball poked away by Baron Davis.
As the two players chased the loose ball, Kyle Korver dove on the court, gained possession and, while still on the ground, fired a pass to Taj Gibson for a dunk. That basket gave the Bulls an 81-68 edge with 6:32 remaining.
Korver scored 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, adding 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Luol Deng finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Bulls finished with a 51-33 advantage on the boards, including 18-5 on the offensive glass.
Before the game, an executive committee watched Rose's every move as he went through some warm-up exercises on the court. The decision was made quickly enough — Rose was inactive, sitting out for the 13th time in 14 games.
Rose thought he stepped on the foot of Knicks guard Landry Fields and kept playing even though he knew it was a significant injury.
“You know how I am,” he said at the morning shootaround. “If it's a close game or a game I want to (win), I'm going to continue to play and that ended up making it worse. In the fourth quarter, that's why I was walking the ball up the majority of the time. I wasn't running because of the throbbing, but I was just trying to win the game.”
mmcgraw@dailyherald.com