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Resurgent Rose turns back clock to score 50 against Jazz
LOS ANGELES, Nov 1, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Derrick Rose dusted off his MVP
costume, dropping a career-high 50 points to power the Minnesota Timberwolves
to a 128-125 win over Utah in an NBA Northwest Division showdown on
Wednesday.
On US Halloween night, Rose turned back the clock with a 34-point
performance in the second half as the crowd of 10,000 serenaded him with
chants of “MVP, MVP” after the final buzzer sounded.
“It was numbing,” said teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with 28
points. “I never realized something like that in my life. The man was just
out there floating.”
Rose, who was named NBA MVP in 2011 with the Chicago Bulls, scored every
way imaginable against the Jazz.
He made two clutch free throws with 13 seconds left to give the
Timberwolves a three-point lead in a tightly contested fourth quarter. Just
moments earlier he had scored the go-ahead basket down low to put Minnesota
ahead for good.
Rose also made a key block on a Jazz three-point attempt with two seconds
left to ice the win.
“This means everything,” said Rose, who was making his first start of the
season and first in a Timberwolves uniform. “I worked my butt off, bro.”
Rose’s career had been beset by injuries since he won his MVP award.
“I am doing everything just to win. I played my heart out tonight. My
teammates told me before the game to just play my game and it was a hell of a
night.”
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and Rudy Gobert added 22 for Utah. Jae
Crowder tallied 18 points off the bench.
Minnesota played without the all-star Jimmy Butler, or point guards Jeff
Teague and Tyus Jones.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1045 hrs