Rose Returns, Scores 24 Points As Bulls Beat Pistons 102-91
CHICAGO (AP) -- Derrick Rose had 24 points and seven assists in his return to the lineup, and the balanced Chicago Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons 102-91 on Monday night.
Rose was 9 for 20 from the field in 33 minutes after being sidelined by sprained ankles. The 2011 NBA MVP had missed four of the previous five games after he was injured in a 114-108 overtime loss to Cleveland on Oct. 31.
Pau Gasol had 17 points and 15 rebounds for Chicago, and Joakim Noah finished with 13 points, 14 boards and six assists. The Bulls outrebounded the Pistons 49-46 after they had lost the battle on the glass in the previous six games, rankling hard-nosed coach Tom Thibodeau.
Josh Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit, which was coming off a 97-96 home loss to Utah on Sunday. Greg Monroe had 16 points and 10 boards, and reserve D.J. Augustin scored 16.
Pistons center Andre Drummond, who began the game in a jersey that had his name misspelled on the back, grabbed 12 rebounds, but was 0 for 5 from the field and finished with two points.
The Pistons trailed by as many as 19, but Kyle Singler had a layup and Augustin made a long jumper to trim Chicago's lead to 90-88 with 2:43 remaining.
Gasol responded with a clutch jumper and Smith missed a 3-pointer on the other end for Detroit. Rose then came down and found Jimmy Butler for a 3, making it 95-88 with 1:56 left.
Rose also hit a key jumper and two foul shots to help the Bulls hold on down the stretch.
Detroit dropped the opener of a four-game trip to fall to 0-3 on the road this season. Brandon Jennings had 11 points and eight assists, but also committed four turnovers.
Butler had 19 points for Chicago, including 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.
Rose got off to a fast start, scoring eight points in the first 6 minutes, and then helped the Bulls grab control in the second quarter.
Chicago used a 15-2 run to open a 53-37 lead with 2:26 left in the half. Rose closed out the surge with a short jumper and assists on a fast-break dunk and a jumper by Gasol.
Rose saved his best play of the night for the final seconds of the quarter, when he faked a cross-court pass in midair, and then fired underneath to Noah for a layup. The flashy move was reminiscent of Rose's MVP season in 2011 and helped the Bulls to a 60-44 lead at the break.
Copyright 2014 The Associated press.
