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Rose brilliant as Bulls stomp over Grizzlies

Nov 2, 2008 - 3:22 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Through three games, Derrick Rose has emphatically displayed why he was taken first overall in June's draft.

Rose scored a career-high 26 points and Drew Gooden grabbed 20 rebounds as the Bulls rolled to a 96-86 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

"I don't care what it takes to win," Rose said. "If I have to score 20 or just five points, that's fine with me. If they back off and let me shoot my shot, I will take it."

Selected ahead of Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley in the draft, Rose continued to dazzle in the early stages of his career. The former Memphis star connected on 11-of-20 shots and grabbed six rebounds. And so far, he has been the glue to a team learning to play together under a new system and first-year head coach.

"It will still take time for us to come together as a team," Bulls forward Luol Deng said. "We played better in the second especially on defense. But we are still trying to figure out ways as a team to be more productive."

The franchise's new poster boy, Rose was supported by fellow guard Kirk Hinrich, who scored 18 points and was 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.

"It's still a learning curve for everyone," Hinrich said. "It's like there are new rules. It's still a matter of figuring things out and getting comfortable with everyone."

Rose and Hinrich helped Chicago outscore Memphis, 33-20, in the third period and overcome an eight-point deficit at the half.

"(Hinrich) came off the bench and gave us a big lift," Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro said. "I also liked that (Rose) was more aggressive and picked his spots better. He is shooting his jumper well."

Rudy Gay had 20 points and five rebounds and Hakim Warrick chipped in 18 off the bench for Memphis. O.J. Mayo, selected two spots after Rose in the draft, scored 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting.

"Our second half was much better, we were much more aggressive," Del Negro said. "But Memphis is tough with Gay and Mayo giving them a good punch."

Coming off an 18-point effort in Friday's 96-80 loss to the Boston Celtics, Rose ballooned his already gaudy averages to 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The 20-year-old scored 10 of his total points in the crucial third and capped an 18-10 run with two free throws with 4:24 left in the quarter.

"The second half they came out with more energy than we did," Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said. "But when it was tied at 80-80 it was still anyone's game. In the end they had more desire and deserved to win."

After pulling down 12 rebounds in the first two games, Gooden fell one rebound shy of his career high and scored seven points and blocked three shots for the Bulls.

"Chicago was aggressive and did a good job," Iavaroni said. "Rebounding is everyone's job and we need to start putting a body on someone and go after the ball."

Thanks to Gay's shot at the buzzer, the Grizzlies rallied for an 86-84 victory in their home opener Friday against the Orlando Magic. However, they committed 26 fouls and turned the ball over 16 times in this one en route to dropping their second straight game on the road.