Rose leads the way with 29 as Bulls coast past Knicks

Posted February 16, 2010 10:00 pm

Mike McGraw

Of all the Bulls, Derrick Rose probably got the least amount of rest during all-star weekend. He's still bothered by a sore right hip, a byproduct of getting flattened by Orlando's Dwight Howard last week.

But when he returned to the United Center on Tuesday night, fresh off his first All-Star Game appearance, Rose couldn't have played any better. He knocked down his first 9 shots of the night to lead the Bulls to an easy 118-85 victory over the New York Knicks.

Rose eventually finished with 29 points and 6 assists, hitting 14 of 18 attempts in just 27 minutes of action. Luol Deng added 18 points and Kirk Hinrich had 14, while the Bulls shot a season-high 60.5 percent as a team.

"I'm sore a little bit, but I just have to play through and make sure that we're all right," Rose said.

Early in the game, Rose aggravated the injury while stretching to finish a layup. He needed only a brief rest and even fell to the ground after another layup late in the second quarter, but quickly jumped to his feet.

"One of the layups I did early in the game really triggered the pain, but I fought through it," Rose said. "I'm not concerned at all. A bruise is going to heal each day. Tomorrow, it should feel even better than today."

They're not completely healthy and must play four games in five nights this week, but this game illustrated how easy it would be for the Bulls (26-26) to make a move in the standings. Coming off the break, eight of their first 12 games are at home and seven of the first eight are against teams that are well below .500.

Maybe the Knicks (19-33) will be more interested when the teams meet again tonight at Madison Square Garden. Rose's all-star teammate David Lee produced 24 points and 12 rebounds for New York.

Otherwise, the visitors seemed disinterested.

"They just overwhelmed us physically," New York coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It just looked like they had two more gears than us all night."

Noah sits out: Joakim Noah swore that his left foot was feeling better after an all-star weekend vacation in the Bahamas. But the Bulls' medical staff felt more rest was needed to keep the plantar fasciitis from returning.

Noah will stay home to receive treatment while the Bulls head out on a three-day road trip to New York and Minnesota. He will be re-evaluated Saturday before the Bulls host Philadelphia.

"None of that is engraved in stone," coach Vinny Del Negro said before the game. "It's much better, but it's not at the point where the doctor feels it's something we want to push right now."

Veteran center Brad Miller is battling a sore knee, but he started in Noah's place and contributed 10 points.

Trade talk pending: Nothing much in the way of trade news for the Bulls, but talks should heat up today. The NBA's trade deadline strikes Thursday afternoon.

The Bulls' top priority is clearing more cap space for this summer's free-agent chase, which means moving veteran guard Kirk Hinrich. Not many teams are interested in taking on the $17 million left on Hinrich's contract. The Lakers appear to be the best possibility.

There was talk late Wednesday that Houston will decide between the Bulls and Knicks as far as where to send Tracy McGrady and his massive expiring contract. It's unclear what the Bulls would offer, but they aren't likely to take on McGrady unless Hinrich or John Salmons goes to Houston.

With Joakim Noah still slowed by a sore foot, trading both Tyrus Thomas and Brad Miller doesn't seem logical. Thomas had 11 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks against the Knicks.

Bull horns: Slam-dunk champ Nate Robinson didn't play for the Knicks on Tuesday because of an illness. - Bulls guard Jannero Pargo (12 points) moved up in the playing rotation, jumping ahead of cold-shooting Devin Brown, who has made just 5 of 27 shots since joining the Bulls from New Orleans.

Mike McGraw's game tracker

Bulls 118, Knicks 85

All-star shines: Derrick Rose claimed his sore right hip bothered him during Tuesday's game, but it sure was tough to tell. Fresh off becoming the first Bulls player to appear in the All-Star Game since Michael Jordan in 1998, Rose hit 14 of 18 shots for 29 points in just 27 minutes of action.

Nothing but net: How big a mismatch was this one? The Bulls shot a season-high 60.5 percent from the field and piled up 30 assists, compared to 34.6 percent shooting and 13 assists for the visitors.

Noah still sore: Center Joakim Noah continued to rest his sore foot and did not accompany the team on the flight to New York for Wednesday night's rematch against the Knicks.

Bulls game day

Bulls vs. New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WMVP 1000-AM

Update: The first time the Bulls played in New York this season it was the day after the ugly loss to Sacramento that featured a 35-point blown lead. The Bulls fell behind the Knicks by 22 points at halftime Dec. 22, then mounted their own comeback to close within 1 before finally losing 88-81. The Bulls are 6-7 at the Garden since the 2001-02 season. They haven't lost a season series to the Knicks since 2000-01.

Next: Friday vs. Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center, 7 p.m.

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