Rose's Triple-Double Leads Bulls To Victory
The Chicago Bulls have struggled this season on the road and against the Memphis Grizzlies. But a double-double by Derrick Rose lead the Bulls past the Grizzlies.
Derrick Rose returned to Memphis with his first career triple-double, and Luol Deng scored 28 points to lead the Bulls to a 96-84 win over the Grizzlies on Monday.
Rose, coming back to the city where he starred at the University of Memphis, scored 22 points, handed out 12 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds. He used his superior quickness and court vision to outperform the Grizzlies' starting backcourt of Mike Conley and Sam Young, who scored just 10 points combined.
Chicago broke a five-game losing streak in Memphis and has won three straight overall. Kyle Korver scored 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting from three-point range.
The Bulls' defense was stifling at times, holding the Grizzlies to 38 percent shooting. Grizzlies leading scorer Rudy Gay, who entered the game averaging 21 points, was held to nine points on 1-of-10 shooting.
Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer, who missed the first 15 games of the season with a broken right hand, did not make the trip to Memphis because of an injured left ankle. Taj Gibson started in his place and scored 10 points.
Young, usually a reserve player, started at shooting guard for the Grizzlies, as guards Tony Allen and Xavier Henry both missed the game with knee injuries.
Memphis opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run, cutting the lead to 79-68 on a jump shot by reserve forward Darrell Arthur. The Grizzlies trimmed the lead to nine points on an O.J. Mayo 3-pointer with 6:52 left.
A 3-pointer by Deng gave the Bulls an 87-75 advantage. A short hook shot by Marc Gasol cut the lead to nine points with 2:24 left, but another 3-pointer by Deng sealed the game.
Chicago built a 66-51 lead after a layup by Rose with 6:45 left in the third quarter. Two baskets by Deng gave the Bulls an 18-point lead with 4:40 left in the third.
Deng hit a 3 to put the Bulls ahead by 22 points, their largest lead of the game. A three-point play by Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez made it 79-60 entering the fourth quarter.
The Bulls built a 38-21 lead on a Korver layup about halfway through the second quarter. His 3-pointer with 1:40 left in the half made it 51-37, and Chicago took a 53-42 lead into halftime.
Korver scored all 14 of his first half points in the second quarter, sinking 4 of 5 from behind the arc.
Randolph scored 16 first-half points, including 12 in the second quarter. But the other Grizzlies struggled shooting, spending most of the half in the 25 percent range.
The Bulls shot 56 percent in the first half.
Before the game, baseball All-Star Willie Mays and NBA Hall of Famers Willis Reed and Lenny Wilkens were honored with the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award, in remembrance of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. King was assassinated in Memphis in April 1968.
Notes: Rose's triple-double was the first for the Bulls since Kirk Hinrich's on Dec. 14, 2007 ... Mayo entered the game making just 10 of his previous 44 shots. He went 7 of 14 for 15 points in the game ... Memphis came in with a 4-4 record on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday ... Chicago's previous win in Memphis was on Dec. 15, 2004 ... Monday was Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau's 53rd birthday.
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