April 14--NEW YORK -- An ultra-aggressive Derrick Rose scored 12 points with four assists and Pau Gasol matched Rose's point total with eight rebounds as the Bulls grabbed a 57-50 halftime lead over the Nets Monday night at Barclays Center.
Joakim Noah didn't play in the first half because of left hamstring tendinitis, which the team disclosed after coach Tom Thibodeau's pregame availability.
Taj Gibson replaced Noah in the lineup. The Bulls are 4-1 when starting Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Gibson and Gasol.
Noah is active, but it's unclear if he'll play. After one half, it looks unlikely. Kirk Hinrich sat with an aggravation of his hyperextended left knee.
But Rose is feeling good. And so are the Bulls about their playoff prospects moving forward.
Thibodeau said Rose will again play four segments against the Nets and his minutes could increase from the 28 he logged on Saturday against the 76ers.
"I thought he had a great rhythm offensively," Thibodeau said of Rose's performance against the 76ers. "I thought defensively he was very good. He made two effort plays that were huge for us. And that's a sign that he's feeling a lot better. He handled the extra minutes well. He felt good the next day. And those are all good signs. Hopefully he can continue to build.
"The minutes thing is good. I want him to be playing well. If he's playing well and can handle the minutes, maybe a few more minutes. But I like where he is right now."
A humble and genuinely appreciative Rose opened up about his latest rehab and his strong return to the court.
"Hell," Rose said when asked what the last six weeks were like. "Because you got to do rehab over again. Waking up at 7:30 every day and being there two hours before practice, beating everybody to the training room when you arrive to a city. You have to do two or three workouts every day. So the game, that's kind of easy. For sure it's easy."
Rose made several big plays down the stretch of Saturday's victory.
"It just feels good being put in those situations again," he said. "It's always a blessing when you come back to a team like this and they allow you to play the way that you play. I'm grateful for it. And I'm happy that I'm playing in the fourth quarter now."
