Derrick Rose Leads Chicago Bulls To 60th Win Over Orlando Magic, 102-99
In a game which was supposed to feature two of the top three MVP candidates, only Derrick Rose was able to take the floor.
He made his for those who hadn't sent in their ballots yet, scoring a remarkably efficient 39 on a mere 17 shots. He was also instrumental down the stretch, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 102-99 win over the Orlando Magic.
As for Dwight Howard, he wasn't allowed to play because of his second suspension of the season for a technical foul. In his place, Ryan Anderson filled in admirably, scoring 28 points and adding 10 rebounds.
Rose was pivotal down the stretch, scoring 13 points in the last 7:26 of the game, including a pair of free throws to put the Bulls ahead by four with 20 seconds left. Jason Richardson drained a three-point jumper with 2.6 seconds left on the clock though to close to one.
After fouling Carlos Boozer, who sank his two free throws, there were still two seconds left on the clock. Jameer Nelson caught the inbound pass, dribbled and had to hesitate on his shot as Rose came in to challenge the shot. As Rose passed by him, Nelson took and made the shot, but the ball didn't leave his hand in time and the shot was waved off.
Along with his 39 points, Rose added five assists and three rebounds. Carlos Boozer scored 12 points, six assists, and six rebounds. Luol Deng scored 15 points to go with five rebounds and five assists.
It was Chicago's 12th straight win over the top four seeds in the two Conferences.
In those 12 games, Rose has averaged 28.08 points on 21.75 field goal attempts, with a FG percentage of .500.
It's part of his MVP case that he plays so well against the elite teams in the NBA.
It was also the Bulls 60th win of the season. Only three teams in NBA history have won 60 games with fewer than the 2010 Bulls' 41 wins the prior season, the 2008 Boston Celtics, the 2005 Phoenix Suns and the 1980 Boston Celtics.
Most importantly, the Bulls still have an opportunity to gain the NBA's best record. They trail the San Antonio Spurs by one game. Both teams play on Tuesday night.
If the Bulls win out and the Spurs drop one of their last two, they would end up tied. If that happens, there will be a random drawing to determine who will get home court advantage.
