Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson drives to the basket against the Phoenix Suns. (AP-Yonhap News)
CHICAGO (AP) ― Derrick Rose could feel some pain in the area of his right ankle and foot, the site of his most recent injury during a season in which he has missed 26 games.
It was OK, though. All worth it. The fans were cheering for him, he was back on the court and the Chicago Bulls got another victory that moved them closer to clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
“It was throbbing a little, but the great thing about it is we got the win and we get a couple of days off to get treatment and I’m going to stay off my feet and hopefully it’s going to get better,” Rose said after the Bulls beat the Dallas Mavericks 93-83 on Saturday night.
Rose’s return after missing three straight games wasn’t spectacular, but it was still a 32-minute effort that saw him get 11 points and eight assists.
“I think he played a very controlled type game. He was taking care of the ball, running the offense and just trying to get a feel for being out there again,” Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The Bulls, able to use their starting five for just the 14th time this season, got 22 points from Luol Deng and 19 from Richard Hamilton in beating a Mavericks team that had already clinched a playoff berth two nights earlier, played at home Friday night and rested guards Jason Kidd and Jason Terry.
The victory by the Bulls (48-16) gave them a 2 1-2 game lead over Miami for the top seed in the East after the Heat lost at home to Washington.
Chicago has two regular-season games left, against Indiana and Cleveland.
“We still have to win out,” said Rose, who acknowledged he didn’t have his usual confidence driving the lane and was content to pass the ball to Deng and Hamilton.
“We’re not worried about other teams, just what we are trying to do here and we’re trying to win every game,” he said.
Denver 118, Phoenix 107
Philadelphia 109, Indiana 106
Washington 86, Miami 84
Houston 99, Golden State 96
Memphis 93, Portland 89
Milwaukee 106, New Jersey 95
Utah 117, Orlando 107
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
