Rose big in crunch time
Derrick Rose experienced a rare low moment early in Friday's surprisingly intense battle with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Rose drove to the basket and had his shot blocked out of bounds by Memphis forward Darrell Arthur, who was the leading scorer on that Kansas team in the national championship win over Rose's Memphis Tigers in 2008.
The Grizzlies' bench jumped to their feet in celebration, led by Chicago native Tony Allen. His younger brother Ryan, a junior guard on Wisconsin-Milwaukee's team, is one of Rose's best friends.
“A blocked shot is a blocked shot. It doesn't really make me mad,” Rose said. “It went out of bounds and we get another shot at the basket.”
That sequence summed up a rough shooting night for Rose. He hit just 6-of-22 shots, but did all the winning when it counted.
Rose broke a tie 2:18 remaining with 2 free throws, added a driving bank shot and 3-point play with 10.8 seconds on the clock and the Bulls fought off Memphis 99-96 at the United Center.
While the Bulls (52-19) won their 14th straight home game, Boston lost at home to Charlotte, giving the Bulls a 2-game lead for first place in the Eastern Conference with 11 remaining.
The final result provided few clues about Rose's poor shooting. He finished with 24 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Luol Deng added 23 points for the Bulls.
“Derrick Rose, he played great tonight,” Allen said after the game. “I most definitely wanted to get that win. He's so explosive and he's a hometown kid. South-Side guy. He was fun to play against.”
The intensity level of this game made it feel like Miami was back in town. The Grizzlies (40-33), with their poorly-groomed playoff beards, were coming off a road victory in Boston.
Led by Allen, these Grizzlies are scrappy and physical. Allen got a technical foul for barking at the Bulls' bench, specifically ex-Boston teammate Brian Scalabrine. Later, Shane Battier, of all people, was teed up for delivering a hard foul after the whistle against Omer Asik.
“That's every game. Falling, tripping, getting fouled hard. Some calls and some no calls,” Rose said. “You've just got to fight through it. It's going to be like that until playoffs. Guys are trying to make their last run.”
After Rose hit the free throws to make it 95-93, Memphis had four chances to tie or take the lead. First, veteran Kurt Thomas blocked Randolph. Then Mike Conley missed a contested fast-break lay in, before O.J. Mayo bricked 2 straight shots.
With the chance to put the Bulls in command, Rose took a screen from Thomas, drove left and put in a driving bank shot over 7-footer Marc Gasol, with a foul. The 3-point play sent the Bulls ahead 98-93 with 10.8 seconds remaining.
“I just wanted him to make a difficult shot over the big,” said Allen, who guarded Rose on the play. “I forced him to his left hand. Obviously, his body control is amazing and he was able to finish over our big. That was a big play. In order for us to beat good teams, we've got to get that stop.”
Mayo tossed in a 3 and Rose missed a free throw, giving the Grizzlies one more chance to tie, but Conley missed badly on a 3-point attempt.