• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Rose's 39 lift Bulls past Pistons, 101-91

Oct 31, 2010 - 4:19 AM By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) -- Fans chanted "MVP! MVP!" for Derrick Rose on Saturday night, and it probably won't be the last time he hears it.

Rose matched a career high with 39 points, helping the Chicago Bulls stage a big rally in a 101-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

"I'm just taking the shots that they gave me," said Rose, who was 13-of-27 from the field. "They're giving me wide open shots. I'm going to take them. They're giving me wide open lanes, I'm going to drive it. My teammates gave me the confidence to do that."

Chicago trailed by 21 early in the third quarter and was still down 86-73 about three minutes into the fourth when it went on a 19-2 run to pull out a dramatic win in the home opener. Rose led the way, scoring eight in the final period, but he had help.

Joakim Noah had 15 points and 17 rebounds. Taj Gibson scored 11. James Johnson wound up with eight points and nine rebounds, and the Bulls delivered in the end to give new coach Tom Thibodeau his first win after coming up short down the stretch in the opener against Oklahoma City.

"It was great and there were a lot of guys who did something that were helpful," Thibodeau said.

Chicago overcame a spectacular first half by former Bulls star Ben Gordon, who scored all of his 21 points before intermission, and held the Pistons to 4-of-21 shooting in the fourth while burying 11 of 17 attempts on the other end.

Detroit dropped to 0-3 for the first time since it lost the first four games of the 1999-2000 season.

"I felt we just didn't make the right adjustments as a team, and Derrick Rose was really hot," Gordon said. "It seemed like he could do whatever he wanted to."

The Bulls are aiming higher after back-to-back first-round playoff exits and underwent a major offseason overhaul, bringing in Thibodeau and revising their roster. They won't be at full strength for a while, though.

Carlos Boozer, their big addition, broke a bone in his right hand in a fall at home and is expected to miss the first month. And things weren't looking good for the Bulls for much of the night.

The Pistons carried an 82-67 lead into the fourth after Charlie Villanueva's buzzer-beating 3-pointer and were still ahead by 13 before C.J. Watson hit a jumper to start the decisive run.

Johnson nailed a 3 to tie it at 86 with five minutes left, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. A basket by Richard Hamilton briefly put the Pistons back on top, but the Bulls weren't finished.

Gibson hit a fadeaway to tie it again. Noah gave Chicago its first lead since the first quarter when he tipped in Rose's missed drive with 2:37 left, and Rose added two free throws to make it 92-88 20 seconds later.

A free throw by Rodney Stuckey made it a three-point game, but thunderous dunks by Gibson and Johnson along with a jumper by Rose with 42 seconds left increased Chicago's advantage to 98-89, sealing a dramatic win.

Gordon, who scored 32 the previous night against Oklahoma City, missed all five of his shots in the second half after going 5-for-5 from the field and 10-for-10 at the foul line in the first.

He spent much of the opening quarter in a T-shirt icing his left shoulder. He entered to loud boos when he checked in with just over two minutes left in the period, then spent the rest of the half drawing groans from the crowd as he tried to bury his former team.

Detroit led by as much as 20 in the second quarter and was up 63-44 at the break thanks to Gordon. Then, it slipped away.

"This one was just unbelievable," Villanueva said.

NOTES: Pistons G Will Bynum sat out his second game in as many nights because of a hamstring injury. Bynum injured his right hamstring during the preseason and aggravated it Wednesday night a season-opening loss to New Jersey. ... Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen got a loud reception and waved to the crowd when he was shown on the scoreboard early in the second quarter.