
Derrick Rose
New York Knicks starting point guard Derrick Rose missed the previous two games and nine quarters with a back injury. He showed how much he missed donning the orange and blue by dominating the first half and pacing New York’s offense.
Rose showed some signs of game rust, but they were few and far between during this sensational return to the starting lineup.
Rose finished with 25 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one block in his 34 minutes of court time. He shot 12-of-16 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free throw line while recording a +/- of +13 in what was a tough matchup against D’Angelo Russell.
Rose made his first eight field goal attempts and sank his final shot with 19.4 seconds remaining to ice the victory.
Bigger than the statistics is the fact that Rose looked to be at 100 percent after missing nine straight quarters with a back injury. He was comfortable driving the lane, finishing in traffic, and rising up off of a dribble into midrange jump shots.
Rose’s health will be a topic of conversation for the rest of his NBA career, but he’s still as fast and dynamic as any point guard in the Association.
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Behind the efforts of these primetime performers, the New York Knicks improved to 14-10 through 24 games.