Rose starting to get star treatment in win over Clipeprs

LOS ANGELES - Rookie Derrick Rose is one of only three Bulls to appear in every game this season. He leads the team in minutes played at 37.4.

Rose has plenty on his plate already. On Wednesday, he officially was selected for the rookie-sophomore game during all-star weekend and confirmed that he has accepted an invitation to the skills contest.

All that happened before the Bulls snapped a five-game losing streak by handling the injury-plagued Los Angeles Clippers 95-75 late Wednesday night at the Staples Center. Rose had 21 points and 6 assists, while Luol Deng led the Bulls with 23 points.

It's still possible Rose could get a call to play in the actual All-Star Game on Feb. 15, since reserves have yet to be announced. But he figures to be a longshot.

"I could see if we had a winning record (being selected)," Rose said. "(This will) get my feet wet. Hopefully in a couple more years I'll have the chance to play in it."

This appears to be a strong rookie class, and Rose is looking forward to getting everyone together and battling the second-year stars. The sophomores have won seven of nine games since the series began in 2000, including the last six.

"Knowing the rookies this year, there are some real competitive guys that are playing," Rose said. "We're going to try to win it, nothing less."

This game wasn't much of an artistic success. During one sequence in the third quarter, Joakim Noah was called for offensive goaltending on a Rose shot that was halfway through the rim when Noah touched it. The Clippers got the ball and power forward Brian Skinner promptly missed a wide-open dunk.

The Bulls (19-27) continued their bungling ways with 10 turnovers in the first half. They led 47-44 at intermission, even though the Clippers were well short of full strength.

Zach Randolph (knee) and Chris Kaman (arch) are out, while Baron Davis (bruised tailbone) and Marcus Camby (sprained ankle) played limited minutes in their return from injury. The Clippers (10-35) have dropped 17 of their last 19.

But the Bulls found some life in the third quarter. After an exchange of baskets, the visitors used a 9-0 run to take a 12-point advantage. They finished the quarter with a 13-3 run to take a 73-53 advantage heading into the fourth.

Noah and Ben Gordon scored 7 points each as the Bulls outscored the Clippers 26-9 in the third quarter, while Rose had 4 points and 5 assists.

This was the Bulls' first blowout win since they beat Phoenix by 17 on Nov. 7. With the game well out of reach in the fourth quarter, guard Lindsey Hunter saw his first game action since Jan. 10, but guard Larry Hughes stayed on the bench throughout.

Hughes hasn't played since Jan. 12 and his agent has been given permission to try to facilitate a trade. But Hughes said before the game he's ready to take the court.

"If they call my name, I'm going to play," he said. "I haven't shut down. There's still a lot of season left. Mentally, I'm in it. I continue to work out. The only thing I'm not doing right now is playing in the games."

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