National Basketball Association

Rose's triple-double lead Bulls over Grizzlies

Published Jan. 17, 2011 10:02 p.m. ET

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The Chicago Bulls were missing two key players, so Derrick Rose picked up the slack with his first career triple-double.

Returning to the city where he starred at the University of Memphis, Rose scored 22 points, handed out 12 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 96-84 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

Chicago won comfortably despite missing power forward Carlos Boozer, who did not make the trip to Memphis because of an injured left ankle. Taj Gibson started in his place and scored 10 points.

Rose said the team ''came out with an edge'' because they were not only missing Boozer, but also Joakim Noah, who is out with an injured right hand.

''We just wanted to come out and let them know it was going to be a tough game,'' Rose said. ''We were just playing together and playing defense.''

Luol Deng scored 28 points, while Rose 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.

''A win is a win no matter how my stats are,'' said Rose, who added that he wasn't aware he was close to a triple-double in the fourth quarter because he was ''too caught up in the game.''

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, and the Bulls outscored the Grizzlies 33-3 from beyond the arc.

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 Memphis with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau, celebrating his 53rd birthday, praised Deng for his defense on Gay.

''Rudy Gay is a great player, and he got some good looks he normally makes,'' Thibodeau said. ''I thought Luol played him well. The thing Luol does so well is he's going to make a guy work.''

Thibodeau said before the game that Boozer is day-to-day, and it's not clear whether he will play Tuesday at home against Charlotte. Boozer missed the first 15 games of the season with a broken right hand.

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.

''Defensively, we were on our heels,'' Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. ''We did not compete against Derrick Rose.''

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.

''We put forth a hard comeback but I think it was just a little too late,'' Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo said.

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.

''I felt good the last week or so shooting the ball in practice, just haven't gotten good looks in the games,'' Korver said. ''Sometimes, you just have to see the ball go in.''

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 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