Derrick Rose has slowly progressed back into a big-time player for the Chicago Bulls, and what he did on Friday night, it doesn't get much bigger. Rose banked in the game-winning three-pointer as time expired to give the Bulls a 99-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 2-1 series lead. He finished the night with 30 points in a statement victory in front of the home crowd.
Rose's clutch shot came right after the Cavs had tied it with a three-pointer from J.R. Smith with 10.8 seconds left. The Bulls' oft-injured star would then take the inbound pass from Mike Dunleavy and bank in the 26-footer to clinch the victory. It was the first game-winning shot in the final 10 seconds of a playoff game for the Bulls since the 1998 NBA Finals, when Michael Jordan did so over Bryon Russell of the Utah Jazz.
Rose has gotten better and better in his first playoffs since 2012, with the only bad moment coming in game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks, when he turned the ball over and was beaten on a last-second layup.
The Bulls also got 20 points from the Most Improved Player Jimmy Butler on Friday.
LeBron James finished the game with 27 points on 8-of-25 shooting in the loss. He also added 14 assists, which gives him 1,073 in his playoff career. He passed Tony Parker, Steve Nash and Larry Bird for fourth all-time in that category.
Smith returned from a 2-game suspension and scored 14 points on the night for Cleveland. Kyrie Irving was playing on a sore foot and finished with just 11 points and no assists. He shot 3-of-13 from the field, with all three shots made coming from beyond the arc.
Before this season, the Bulls had never won more than one game in a series against a LeBron James-led team. Rose and Butler combined for 23 of the Bulls' 25 fourth-quarter points. Dunleavy finished with 16 points and Nikola Mirotic added 12 on the night. Chicago out-rebounded Cleveland 54-39, outscored them 44-28 in the paint and 18-7 on second-chance points.
The Bulls lost Pau Gasol to a hamstring injury that he suffered in game 2, which tightened up on Friday night. His status for game 4 is unknown, as he will undergo tests on Saturday.
The Bulls look to take a commanding series lead when they host game 4 on Sunday.
Rose's clutch shot came right after the Cavs had tied it with a three-pointer from J.R. Smith with 10.8 seconds left. The Bulls' oft-injured star would then take the inbound pass from Mike Dunleavy and bank in the 26-footer to clinch the victory. It was the first game-winning shot in the final 10 seconds of a playoff game for the Bulls since the 1998 NBA Finals, when Michael Jordan did so over Bryon Russell of the Utah Jazz.
Rose has gotten better and better in his first playoffs since 2012, with the only bad moment coming in game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks, when he turned the ball over and was beaten on a last-second layup.
The Bulls also got 20 points from the Most Improved Player Jimmy Butler on Friday.
LeBron James finished the game with 27 points on 8-of-25 shooting in the loss. He also added 14 assists, which gives him 1,073 in his playoff career. He passed Tony Parker, Steve Nash and Larry Bird for fourth all-time in that category.
Smith returned from a 2-game suspension and scored 14 points on the night for Cleveland. Kyrie Irving was playing on a sore foot and finished with just 11 points and no assists. He shot 3-of-13 from the field, with all three shots made coming from beyond the arc.
Before this season, the Bulls had never won more than one game in a series against a LeBron James-led team. Rose and Butler combined for 23 of the Bulls' 25 fourth-quarter points. Dunleavy finished with 16 points and Nikola Mirotic added 12 on the night. Chicago out-rebounded Cleveland 54-39, outscored them 44-28 in the paint and 18-7 on second-chance points.
The Bulls lost Pau Gasol to a hamstring injury that he suffered in game 2, which tightened up on Friday night. His status for game 4 is unknown, as he will undergo tests on Saturday.
The Bulls look to take a commanding series lead when they host game 4 on Sunday.
