Rose looking like his old self for Chicago Bulls
It was 1960s Night at the United Center on Thursday night, a promotion to complement the Chicago Bulls' 50th anniversary season.
Between the lines on the basketball court, it was 2011 Night, a celebration of Derrick Rose's return to MVP form.
Rose scored 10 straight points down the stretch of the fourth quarter, finishing with 29 overall, leading the Bulls to an impressive 104-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Among the other stars on the floor, Kevin Durant scored 33 points, Russell Westbrook had 20 and Bulls guard Jimmy Butler added 26.
In the previous three games, Rose averaged 6 points and shot 28 percent from the field. He missed nearly all of training camp due to a broken left orbital bone and is still suffering from blurry vision in his left eye.
"I'm just getting reps up," Rose said in the locker room. "After I got hit, I had two weeks to not do anything. I couldn't get my blood pressure up. You just have to sit there. You can't do anything. You just have to chill. No ab work. I couldn't work out. I think we've played five or six games now. It's all about rhythm, getting my timing."
This game provided an interesting comparison on the progress of Rose and Westbrook. The two dynamic guards were drafted No. 1 and 4, respectively, in the 2008 draft and are just one month apart in age.
They also became summer workout partners in Los Angeles early in their NBA careers, before Rose got sidetracked by rehab of three knee surgeries. These days, Westbrook is still one of the league's brightest stars and averaging 30 points per game, while Rose is struggling to find the path back to his old form.
This was the first time Rose and Westbrook played against each other since Dec. 6, 2010, early in Rose's MVP season. For the record, Rose scored 11 points in that game, taking a back seat to Carlos Boozer's 29.
"It's not even that, it's just (going against) a great point guard," Rose said. "Me and Wes work out with each other during the summer. We push each other. Our workouts are extremely hard and it's paying off. The way he's playing has been great."
The Bulls (4-2) opened a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but it disappeared quickly. Durant hit a pair of free throws to make it 90-90 with 5:07 remaining.
Rose's run started with an assist, as he found Pau Gasol for a key jumper. Rose then added a runner in the lane after rebounding his own miss and a long bank shot. All three of those baskets broke ties and kept the Bulls ahead.
Once the Bulls got a stop, Rose added a pair of free throws, a 16-foot pullup jumper and a step back jumper over Enes Kanter to make it 10 points and 1 assist in a span of six possessions.
"I'm really happy for him," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "He'd had a couple bad shooting nights. He's been working his tail off, getting in the gym extra.
"He got in here early tonight, got up a lot of shots. He was in a full lather before the game. Then to go out and have that type of performance, was huge for him, was huge for our team; should be great for Derrick's confidence."
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