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Rose leads Bulls in double-overtime win over Suns

Nov 25, 2010 - 8:20 AM Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Derrick Rose scored 35 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out seven assists, and the Chicago Bulls notched a hard- fought 123-115 double-overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center.

Rose played for about 13 minutes with five fouls and hit a game-tying layup with 0.1 seconds left in the first overtime for the Bulls, who improved to 3-2 on their season-long seven-game circus road trip. Luol Deng contributed 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Joakim Noah had 17 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, including the pass to Rose to tie the game in the first OT.

The Bulls were down by as many as 23 before staging a comeback.

"We can be down 20 points, 30 points. We never want to be in that situation, but if we're forced to be in that situation by the way that we're playing, we're going to come back," Rose said.

Grant Hill led six Suns in double-figures with a season-high 27 points, though Phoenix lost for the fourth time in five games. Hakim Warrick had 23 points off the bench, while Steve Nash provided 14 points and 16 assists.

Jason Richardson, Channing Frye and Hedo Turkoglu had 20, 16 and 10 points, respectively, in defeat. Turkoglu also had 10 boards.

"We had them up 23 and instead of going up 30, 35 and them quitting, they felt good about themselves at halftime and got the momentum back," Hill said.

The Bulls dominated the double-overtime period from the beginning.

Rose began the frame with an acrobatic layup that turned into a three-point play for a 114-111 advantage, and he added another jumper with three minutes left to keep the margin at three, 116-113.

Phoenix, which scored just four points on 2-of-11 shooting in the five-minute period, went down by five on Deng's 21-foot jumper with 2:20 left. The Suns missed seven straight shots in between their two baskets, and a pair of Kyle Korver free throws sealed the outcome with 15 seconds to go.

The Bulls led by two late in the first overtime period, but Richardson hit a clutch three-pointer with 1:04 to go for a 108-107 Phoenix advantage.

On the ensuing Chicago possession, Korver was called for an offensive foul, but Hill was unable to extend the Phoenix lead at the other end. Rose dribbled inside and had the ball bounce off his foot and out of bounds; referees initially called it Suns ball, but replays showed the ball also deflected off Hill's leg, helping the Bulls retain possession.

With a second chance, Rose attempted a pullup jumper with 13.0 seconds left, but it banged off the rim. Frye was able to come down with the rebound and drilled a pair of important free throws with 12.4 seconds left for a 110-107 lead.

Rose's three-point attempt from the top of the circle was off the mark, but Noah was able to tip in the rebound with 5.8 seconds left to trim the Bulls' deficit again to one.

Richardson was fouled 0.3 seconds later and made only 1-of-2 from the line, and the Bulls had a last opportunity with 4.3 seconds left. Noah took the inbound at the top of the key and found a streaking Rose, who caught the ball under the basket and put up a layup with 0.1 seconds left to tie the game.

Chicago trailed by 12 entering the fourth, but began the period on a 14-5 burst to climb to within striking distance.

Deng had seven of the last 10 points, and his three-pointer made it an 89-86 game with seven minutes to play. Phoenix, though, bounced back with Richardson's layup and Turkoglu's free throw to provide the Suns a 92-86 cushion with five minutes to go.

The Bulls' defense stiffened down the stretch, holding the Suns without a field goal for the final 2:29 of regulation, and Rose led a perfect fastbreak that ended in a James Johnson uncontested layup with 45.6 seconds left for a 99-99 game.

Nash and Rose were both fouled in the lane on their respective team's ensuing possession, producing a 101-101 game following four made free throws with 14.7 ticks to go.

The Suns couldn't get a quality shot off in the final seconds; Grant Hill's pullup jumper from near the free throw line was off the mark.

Phoenix dominated the first quarter and led, 36-17, after 12 minutes, though the Bulls trimmed their deficit to 62-50 at halftime.

Both teams scored 22 points in the third quarter, and the Suns took an 84-72 lead to the fourth.

Game Notes

Chicago has won three straight in Phoenix...The Bulls also visit Denver and Sacramento on their road trip...Rose took 33 shots and made 14...Both teams took over 100 shots; The Bulls shot 50-for-104, while the Suns shot 43- for-101...Phoenix shot just 7-for-24 from beyond the arc...Warrick scored 19 points in the second quarter, but none in the second half. His 23 points overall is a season-high.