Rose shines, Bulls beat Thunder to snap road skid
OKLAHOMA CITY - Leave it to Derrick Rose to do something amazing that straightens out the Bulls.
The team's seven-game road losing streak finally came to an end Wednesday thanks to the rookie point guard, who knocked down all 10 of his shot attempts in the second half, mostly on outside jumpers.
Rose finished with 25 points to lead the Bulls to a 103-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Forward John Salmons added 20 points, guard Ben Gordon scored 18, and center Brad Miller filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
"I knew that my team needed me to make plays," Rose said. "I didn't know what type of plays, but it ended up being scoring plays. I was just feeling it tonight. I didn't want to lose, so I just started shooting the ball."
Nine of Rose's 10 second-half baskets were outside jumpers. With the Bulls trailing by 5 at halftime, Rose scored 14 points in the third quarter, and the Bulls took control with a 10-2 run that gave them a 69-64 lead.
"He definitely wasn't missing in the second half," said ex-Bull Thabo Sefolosha, who had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Thunder. "He's got a streaky jump shot, but when he starts making a few of them like that, it's hard to stop him."
Oklahoma City is just 19-49 overall but had won 6 of 11 with Sefolosha in the lineup, including 4 straight at home.
In the fourth quarter, Kirk Hinrich knocked down a 3-pointer to send the Bulls ahead 85-78. A few minutes later, Miller scored 6 consecutive points to give the visitors a 95-86 edge with 5:48 remaining.
Salmons seemed to put the Bulls in command by hitting 2 free throws to make it 99-90 with 3:54 left. But the Bulls failed to score on their next five possessions, and after a quick 6-0 run the Thunder was within 99-96 when rookie Russell Westbrook finished a driving lay-in with 56.8 seconds on the clock.
Oklahoma City had a chance to tie, but Kevin Durant's 3-point attempt missed the mark, and Tyrus Thomas knocked down 4 free throws in the final 21.9 seconds to clinch the win. Durant led the Thunder with 28 points, hitting 9 of 21 shots.
The Bulls (32-37) hold a 1½-game lead over Milwaukee and Charlotte for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Nine of the Bulls' final 13 games are at home, beginning Saturday when the Los Angeles Lakers visit.