CHICAGO (AP) — Derrick Rose doesn't show his emotions too often on the court.
After watching Detroit's Austin Daye go in for
another easy layup late in the second quarter Rose had seen enough — slamming
the ball down in anger.
The Bulls guard backed up his emotional display
with an incredible second half to lift Chicago to a 95-82 win over the Pistons
on Monday night.
Rose scored 29 points, including a spectacular
alley-oop dunk, and Carlos Boozer added 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead the
Bulls.
"We finally played defense. In the first half,
they were getting everything they wanted by driving to the hole, getting to the
line," Rose said. "In the second half, we made sure we got in their
way."
The Bulls erased Detroit's 12-point halftime lead
midway through the third quarter behind Boozer. He scored nine quick points
with his jumper tying it at 61 with 4:54 left in the quarter.
Luol Deng's dunk gave the Bulls a 71-70 lead then
Rose took over. He scored the final five points of the period on a three-point
play and a 15-footer to give the Bulls a six-point lead.
Rose finished the quarter with 11 points.
"When you see somebody on the team playing
with that much energy, so much intensity, it is contagious," Brewer said.
"Guys want to match that level. When you see him make a dunk like that it
makes you want to dive after a loose ball. It's like a snowball effect. Guys
pick up off that and it builds and it builds."
Rose continued his run in the fourth, scoring on a
nifty alley-oop dunk from Ronnie Brewer. For a second Brewer thought he passed
it a little too high.
"I thought I might have thrown it a little too
high but I've seen some of the things he's done in practice and his previous
years in the NBA, so I knew if I put it up by the rim, even a little high, I
knew he would have an opportunity to get it," Brewer said.
Boozer's jumper gave the Bulls an 86-78 lead with
3:54 left and Brewer's 3 a minute later put the game away.
Pistons guard Richard Hamilton played, despite his
name circulating in a blockbuster three-team trade centering around Carmelo
Anthony. The reported deal would reunite Chauncey Billups and Hamilton in New
Jersey along with Anthony.
New Jersey would send rookie power forward Derrick
Favors, point guard Devin Harris and others to Denver in the deal that would
get them Anthony, Billups, Hamilton, Shelden Williams and Terrico White, who is
injured. The Pistons would receive veteran Troy Murphy and center Johan Petro.
Murphy has a nearly $12 million contract that will expire after this season.
Hamilton finished with two points off the bench in
21 minutes. He was 0-for-5 from the field.
"That's part of the game. You hear stuff like
that all the time. It's not the first time I've heard it in my career since
I've been here. It's part of the game. You just come out and try to play
basketball," said Hamilton. "It's out there. It's nothing that I
think about."
Deng added 17 points and eight rebounds for the
Bulls, who have won seven straight home games.
The Pistons controlled most of the first half
thanks to a breakout quarter by Daye. Daye showed off his versatily with his
inside out game. He drove the lane for a dunk to give Detroit a 40-31 lead then
he made a 3 to give the Pistons a 55-43 lead at the half. Daye scored all 14 of
his points in the second quarter, making all six of his shots.
"We had a couple of good looks and when those good
looks aren't going in then they came down and capitalized on everything. It
seems like that's a trademark that's happened a lot this season," said
Pistons coach John Kuester.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/John Smierciak)
