Rose looking stronger as Bulls get win

MILWAUKEE - Victory, at last.

After dropping their first two games of the preseason, the Bulls finally earned a 91-85 win Saturday night over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center.

But as coach Tom Thibodeau likes to repeat, most important is whether the Bulls are doing the things that go into winning. Well, did they?

One great sign is Derrick Rose played beyond the first half for the first time in preseason and looked very much like his old self. He finished with 16 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds in just 22 minutes, while hitting 3 of 4 shots from 3-point range.

There was some vintage Rose in the third quarter when he pushed the ball quickly and wove past three defenders for a fastbreak layup.

"He's got to shake that rust off. So the more he plays, the better he'll be," Thibodeau said.

Doug McDermott joined the starting lineup because Mike Dunleavy was given the night off. McDermott fit in well, producing 7 points. 6 rebounds and 3 assists. There were a few mistakes, but it certainly helps that his basketball IQ is higher than the typical NBA rookie.

"It felt great," McDermott said of playing with the starters. "I knew in advance, so I kind of mentally prepared myself for it. It felt like college, starting again. I think just to get off to a great start like we did was good for me. We were just clicking on all cylinders there to start the game."

With Rose leading the way, the starters opened a 16-4 lead midway through the first quarter.

There was even some notable Euro-defense from the Bulls in this one. Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic were each credited with 3 blocked shots. It appeared that Gasol should have been given a few more.

"I think my shot-blocking has always gone a little bit underrated and under the radar," Gasol said. "With this defense, I'm going to be in the paint a lot, protecting the rim."

Gasol led the Bulls with 20 points and 11 rebounds against the Bucks, playing nearly 30 minutes. Jimmy Butler scored 18 points, while Taj Gibson had 11 off the bench.

One of Thibodeau's preseason talking points has been how well the Bulls function as a team. The second unit of Gibson, Mirotic, Aaron Brooks, Kirk Hinrich and Tony Snell didn't function particularly well Saturday. The Bulls never trailed, but the second five couldn't hold the early lead.

"They've got to play a lot better," Thibodeau said. "I think when they went in it was 20-8, then it went to 24-20. That can't be. We can't lose ground like that. You go in there, you've got to get the job done."

Brooks shot the ball well in the first two games but went scoreless at Milwaukee. Snell and Mirotic went a combined 0-for-6 from 3-point land.

"Decisions on who's going to play are based on performance," Thibodeau said. "If your game's not sharp, I'm going to the next guy. That's the way it's going to be. For everyone, not only the rookies."

Thibodeau finished the game with three starters on the floor, with Gibson and Hinrich playing for Rose and Joakim Noah.

Parker gets started:

Chicago native Jabari Parker scored 11 points for the Bucks in Saturday's game, hitting 5 of 14 shots.

Before the contest, he talked about having two Simeon High School products (Parker and Rose) playing in the same NBA game.

"Yeah, it's special to me and it's also special for my coach (Robert Smith)," Parker said. "He'll be there today, too. I hooked him up."

As far as playing in Milwaukee, Parker suggested it's not much of an adjustment.

"I love Milwaukee," he said. "It's like a suburb up north of Chicago, so that's how I put it."