It's a struggle, but Rose, Bulls prevail
By Mike McGraw
mmcgraw@dailyherald.com
Derrick Rose's injured right ankle came a long way in three days, which is great news for the Bulls. But the team didn't exactly resemble a finely tuned playoff machine Sunday against Detroit.
Rose drained a clutch 3-pointer to tie the score with 6.4 seconds left in regulation, and the Bulls survived a close call, beating the Pistons 100-94 in overtime at the Palace of Auburn Hills. It was their 15th straight win over Detroit.
There was surprisingly little defensive resistance when Rose pulled up for his game-tying shot. He got a screen from Joakim Noah, and Pistons center Greg Monroe was late with the defensive challenge.
“They backed up and I shot the ball,” Rose told reporters after the game.
Rose finished with 24 points, 9 assists and 7 turnovers, while hitting 9 of 22 shots from the field. It wasn't perfect, but a huge improvement from Thursday's 1-for-13 shooting night against Miami.
That night Rose was benched in favor of C.J. Watson, who drained a tying 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Noah also had a huge night in Detroit, with 20 points and 13 offensive rebounds, which equals the most in the NBA this season.
Noah helped seal the victory by following in a blocked shot with 29.9 seconds left in overtime, giving the Bulls a 97-91 lead. He had a tip-in that put the Bulls ahead for good at 90-89 with 2:39 remaining in the extra session.
Noah also had an important assist. He set a screen for Rose at the top of the key, caught a pass as he rolled to the basket, then dished it off to Kyle Korver, who drained a wide-open 3-pointer with 1:25 left in overtime. That basket gave the Bulls (46-14) some breathing room at 95-91.
Rose suffered another injury during the fourth quarter, but it didn't keep him sidelined for long. While heading to the basket on a fastbreak, Rose was fouled by Charlie Villanueva, who opened a bloody gash on Rose's nose.
Villanueva was called for a flagrant foul and a technical, so the Bulls shot 3 free throws and tied the score at 76-76 with 4:31 remaining. After hitting his foul shots, Rose went to the bench but checked back in 30 seconds later after the bleeding stopped.
“I was mad. I'm sick and tired of people trying to take cheap shots at me,” Rose said. “He didn't even aim for the ball.”
Detroit (22-38) threatened to pull the upset, though, when Rodney Stuckey (32 points) hit a free throw and Greg Monroe finished a driving lay-in to break an 81-81 tie.
A Boozer jumper cut the deficit to 1, and the Bulls got a defensive stop. But Boozer missed a hook shot in the lane, and the Bulls had to foul with 16.1 seconds left.
Stuckey split the free throws, giving Detroit a 2-point lead, and the Bulls were called for a five-second violation on the ensuing inbound play.
So Stuckey went back to the foul line with 14.2 seconds on the clock and again hit 1 of 2, which allowed Rose to tie the game with a single shot.
Rose had a nice showing in the first half. He produced 12 points and 4 assists, slashed to the basket and pulled up for jumpers, leading the Bulls to at 8-point halftime lead.
The second quarter featured an odd twist. The usually reliable Bulls bench couldn't hold the lead, while the Pistons found success by dusting off Villanueva.
Villanueva, who was once Luol Deng's boarding-school roommate, scored a season-high 11 points in the second quarter. It was just the seventh appearance all season for Villanueva, an expensive free-agent addition for Detroit in 2009.
The Bulls play two more Eastern Conference bottom-dwellers — Washington on Monday, then Charlotte on Wednesday. Two more wins should just about wrap up the top seed in the East before traveling to Miami on Thursday.
mmcgraw@dailyherald.com