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Bulls ride Rose in fourth to down Knicks

Feb 3, 2012 - 7:04 AM New York, NY (Sports Network) - Derrick Rose scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bulls held on to take down the New York Knicks, 105-102.

Carmelo Anthony had an opportunity to tie the game at the final buzzer, but his long three-point try from the right wing was way off the mark.

Rose also added 13 assists while Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver netted 16 points apiece for the Bulls, who rebounded after Wednesday's lopsided loss in Philadelphia. They moved to 2-2 on their nine-game road trip.

"I think the good teams in this league find ways to win games. Most nights if you can be consistent with your defense if gives you a chance to win if you are not shooting well. We were fortunate tonight because we were able to score. We have to continue to improve our defense," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Amare Stoudemire had 34 points and 11 rebounds while Anthony added 26 points and six boards for New York, which has lost 10 of its last 12 games.

Rose carried the Bulls early in the fourth, scoring the first seven points and 14 of the first 18 for Chicago as the visitors took a 95-88 lead midway through the final stanza.

"He's one of those guards that are extremely explosive. It's really tough to guard him at times on screen-and-rolls because he's so low to the ground," Stoudemire said of Rose.

But the Knicks did a stellar job of defending Rose late as the reigning NBA MVP was limited to just a point in the final 5:53 of game action.

An 8-2 spurt, capped by Landry Fields' layup, pulled the Knicks within a point, 101-100, with 23.4 seconds remaining.

Korver nailed a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game. Following a New York timeout, Stoudemire had a wide-open look to tie it from the top of the arc, but his shot clanked off the side of the rim.

Taj Gibson made 1-of-2 from the line to make it 104-100 with 9.3 to go, but Anthony was fouled with 6.3 remaining. He made both foul shots to make it 104-102.

Rose, who came in 35-of-37 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter this season, made 1-of-2 from the line to keep New York's hopes alive, but Anthony's desperation trey at the buzzer wasn't close.

Chicago shot 61.9 percent in the opening quarter and took a 29-25 lead into the second. Korver scored nine points to pace the Bulls.

The Bulls closed the opening half on an 11-4 run, taking a 55-44 advantage into the break. Rose nearly had a double-double by halftime with 10 points and nine assists while Stoudemire kept the Knicks within shouting distance by posting 18 first-half points.

The Knicks rallied in the third quarter, connecting on 10 of their first 11 shots as they pulled within 66-64 midway through the stanza. The Bulls took a 77-75 advantage into the final quarter.

Game Notes

The Bulls moved to 10-5 outside the United Center...The Bulls were without forward Luol Deng (wrist) and guard Richard Hamilton (groin/thigh)...New York had just six points from its bench, all by Toney Douglas...Joakim Noah had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls.