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Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose looked spectacular on Saturday night, while the Indiana Pacers looked ordinary, in two firsts for the season.
Rose returned from a one-game absence to score 14 of his season-high 20 points in a decisive first half as the host Bulls rolled to a 110-94 victory over the previously unbeaten Pacers.
Luol Deng scored 23 points for the Bulls (5-3), who avenged a 97-80 loss at Indiana on Nov. 6 with their fourth straight win.
“The last game with them, we didn’t really play our best,” Bulls forward Taj Gibson said. “We felt like we could have done a whole lot better.”
“Tonight they were much more aggressive,” said Pacers forward Paul George, who was held to 12 points, half his average. “They moved the ball well, had our defense shifting and hit their shots.”
Indiana (9-1) zoomed to the top of the NBA by winning its first nine games, the best start in franchise history. The Pacers were doing it with defense, leading the league in fewest points allowed and lowest opponents’ field-goal percentage.
But Indiana’s defense had no answer for Rose, who sat out Friday’s win in Toronto with a hamstring strain. The former Most Valuable Player missed all of last season with a torn knee ligament and came in averaging a career-low 14.7 points while shooting just 33 percent.
“This is my first time having a hamstring injury,” Rose said. “I don’t know how it would go if I had played last night. I don’t think I’d be able to play tonight.”
Rose made 7-of-16 shots, including a career-high six three-pointers in 11 attempts. He sparked the Bulls to a 25-point halftime lead, turning an anticipated showdown into a rout.
“I thought his first half was terrific,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He had great rhythm and he had our team in great rhythm.”
Rose’s first three-pointer gave Chicago the lead for good at 8-5. Deng scored 12 points in the first quarter as the Bulls opened a 31-20 advantage. Rose made consecutive three-pointers to push the margin to 53-30. He added another to give Chicago a 60-35 halftime lead.
“I’ve got to take those shots,” Rose said. “I saw some go in, so I kept shooting.”
Indiana shot just 31 percent (16-of-51) in the first half and it didn’t get much better in the second half, when the lead ballooned to 33 points.
“Defensively, we didn’t make them uncomfortable,” Pacers forward David West said. “They moved the ball from side to side on us all night.”
•Miami Heat 97, Charlotte Bobcats 81: LeBron James scored 30 points as the visiting Heat defeated the Bobcats for the 13th straight time.
•Houston Rockets 122, Denver Nuggets 111: Dwight Howard foiled the strategy to intentionally foul him by making 17-of-24 free throws and scoring 25 points for the host Rockets.
•Atlanta Hawks 110, New York Knicks 90: Kyle Korver extended his streak of games with a three-pointer to 83 as the Hawks dealt the Knicks their fifth straight home loss.
•Oklahoma City Thunder 92, Milwaukee Bucks 79: Russell Westbrook scored 26 points and Kevin Durant added 24 for the Thunder, who handed the host Bucks their fifth consecutive setback.
•LA Clippers 110, Brooklyn Nets 103: Blake Griffin totaled 30 points and 12 rebounds as the Clippers rallied past the shorthanded Nets to move to 5-0 at home.
•Cleveland Cavaliers 103, Washington Wizards 96 (OT): Kyrie Irving scored nine of his career-high 41 points in overtime to help the visiting Cavaliers end a three-game slide. The Wizards have lost four straight.
•Dallas Mavericks 108, Orlando Magic 100: Monta Ellis scored 19 points and German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki added 18 for the Mavericks, who have won eight straight visits to Orlando.
•Minnesota Timberwolves 106, Boston Celtics 88: Kevin Love had 23 points and 12 boards and Montenegro’s Nikola Pekovic added 20 and 12 as the Timberwolves improved to 5-1 at home.