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Rose expected to be ready when Bulls face Knicks

Dec 9, 2008 - 11:36 AM New York (9-11) at Chicago (9-11) 8:30 p.m. EST

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Derrick Rose has spent the first part of his rookie season slicing through NBA defenses. Now, he'll have to do it with a slice of his own.

Rose will be playing with 10 stitches in his arm when the Chicago Bulls host the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old point guard, who is second among rookies in scoring at 18.1 points per game and paces the class with 6.1 assists per contest, rolled over onto a knife he was using to carve an apple while in bed Monday morning.

"It was a silly accident," Rose told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I panicked when it first happened, but then talked to my trainer and got it stitched up at 8 a.m."

The No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft, Rose has been the bright spot in an otherwise mediocre year for Chicago, which has yet to post a winning or losing streak of more than two games.

The Bulls will be aiming for their second consecutive win Tuesday after topping the Washington Wizards, 117-110, on Saturday. Luol Deng led the way with 26 points, Ben Gordon chipped in 21 and Rose added 15 and eight assists.

The Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday with a 104-92 win over the Detroit Pistons. Former Bulls point guard Chris Duhon collected 25 points and nine assists in the win.

The highest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference, New York topped the century mark against the Pistons after topping out at 97 in the previous three contests.