Rose's clutch shot helps Bulls edge Knicks
CHICAGO -- At the tail end of a miserable shooting night, Derrick Rose decided to learn from earlier failures.
The Chicago Bulls trailed New York by a point with 10.8 seconds left and Rose decided to put some distance on his next shot instead of trying to drive all the way to the rim.
The result was a tough, one-handed floater from about 12 feet on the right baseline. Rose lofted the shot over the outstretched arms of Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton, and it went through the net with 5.7 seconds on the clock, giving the Bulls an exciting 82-81 victory Thursday at the United Center.
"Tyson made me take a lot of difficult shots tonight," Rose said. "I learned from it later on in the game that I had to float it over him because they were giving me a tough whistle tonight."
Rose was playing his first regular season game in Chicago since suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee April 28, 2012. He finished with 18 points, but hit just 7-of-23 attempts from the field and shot two free throws.
"That's why I worked so hard," Rose said. "That was my first floater, I think, in the whole season. I think that's what builds your resume. That leaves a mark on your legacy. I want to be known as one of those players."
On the last possession of the game, New York's Carmelo Anthony missed a 22-foot jumper and Chandler's tip didn't fall as time expired.
Anthony led the Knicks with 22 points. Luol Deng added 17 points for Chicago and Joakim Noah grabbed 15 rebounds.
New York trailed most of the night, then erupted for a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter. The surge erased a 10-point deficit and sent the Knicks ahead 78-76 on an Anthony turnaround jumper with 4:10 remaining.
"We buckled down on the defensive end. We laid it all on the court and I loved our effort," Anthony said. "Derrick Rose had a phenomenal shot over Tyson."
New York took the lead with 10.8 seconds remaining. Anthony missed a jumper and Noah was whistled for a loose ball foul for grabbing Chandler's arm after the ball hit the rim. Chandler, who started his career with the Bulls, made the second of two free throws to put the Knicks ahead 81-80.
"We competed tonight," New York coach Mike Woodson said. "It says a lot for our club. Now I just need to do a better job of getting us through down the stretch."
The Knicks' fourth-quarter run started with 3-pointers by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Felton, surrounding a jumper by Anthony. Iman Shumpert tied the score when he missed a corner 3-pointer, got his own rebound and continued for a dunk. Anthony's turnaround gave the Knicks their first lead since it was 7-6.
The Bulls tied it on Rose's first free throw of the night with 3:16 left. After New York failed to score on a possession that lasted more than one minute, Noah's free throws put Chicago ahead 80-78 with 2:05 left.
Rose tried to drive the lane and had the ball stolen by Shumpert. Rose quickly fouled and Shumpert's free throws tied the score with 1:27 left. Rose then missed a driving bank and had another turnover while the score was tied. He'd get another chance.
"For Derrick's homecoming, for him to hit the game-winner ... I know it's special for him, but it's special for us, too," Noah said. "It's been a long year and a half and to have him back is huge."
NOTES: Rose had an injury scare heading into Thursday's game, but it had nothing to do with his surgically repaired left knee. He came down with a sore neck after Tuesday's loss in Miami. Rose ended up starting against New York, with medical tape running up the back of his neck and stopping behind the ears. "Just neck soreness, almost like a crook in your neck. But I should be fine," Rose said at the morning shootaround. "My body just has to get used to playing. My knee is good. It's just my neck." ... New York coach Mike Woodson shuffled his lineup, starting the 7-foot Bargnani instead of Pablo Prigioni. ... Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire made his season debut with 4:06 left in the first quarter. Woodson said Stoudemire would be on a 10-minute limit. ... The Bulls have won their last six home openers and the Knicks have dropped 14 of their last 16 games at the United Center. ... In honor of Halloween, the Bulls donned their black uniforms and the Knicks wore orange.
