Rose, With New Team, Just as Sweet

All Jalen Rose needed was one game to feel better about his trade to the Chicago Bulls.

Rose scored 36 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, to lead a comeback as the Bulls beat the New York Knicks, 113-109, Wednesday night at Chicago.

He admitted that he wasn’t overjoyed about being sent from Indiana to a last-place team Tuesday in a seven-player trade. But he was in a better frame of mind after a winning debut.

“I have to send Indiana a thank-you card,” Rose said. “It’s a blessing to be in a city that believes in you and is starved for a championship.”

Rose, who came to Chicago with Travis Best, was 13 for 24 from the field and 10 for 11 from the free-throw line. He led a depleted Bulls’ team which had only eight players available in the second half.

“People who said that this trade wasn’t going to work because Jalen was going to come over here and pout, they’re wrong. He’s too much of a competitor for that,” said the Bulls’ Fred Hoiberg. “This game shows something about his character.”

Philadelphia 114, Golden State 107--Allen Iverson scored 46 points, reaching 40 for the fifth time this season and the 38th time in his career as the 76ers defeated the turnover-prone Warriors at Philadelphia.

Danny Fortson had 18 for the Warriors, who kept the game close for much of the fourth quarter but repeatedly made mistakes, including sloppy turnovers and ill-advised shots after coming up with defensive stops and blocked shots on several 76er possessions.

Golden State blocked three shots in the span of a minute with less than four minutes left, each leading to a possession that ended with a turnover or a miss.

The Warriors lost their fourth in a row overall, ninth straight on the road and 19th in 22 games.

Utah 110, Denver 99--Andrei Kirilenko and Scott Padgett scored 21 points each as the Jazz fought off a late Nugget surge at Denver.

Six Utah players scored in double figures to lead the Jazz to its sixth straight victory.

Nick Van Exel, the Nuggets’ leading scorer who has thrown the team into turmoil with his trade demand, did not play for the fifth straight game because of an inflamed elbow.

Portland 90, Seattle 84--Rasheed Wallace made two shots and two free throws in the final 2:16 at Seattle as the Trail Blazers beat the SuperSonics for the third time in three games this season.

The SuperSonics lost for the first time in four games since Vin Baker was sidelined with three dislocated toes on his left foot.

Rashard Lewis scored 24 points for Seattle, which forced the Trail Blazers to commit 17 turnovers. But the SuperSonics missed eight consecutive shots before Brent Barry converted an offensive rebound with 3.2 seconds to go.

Charlotte 78, Toronto 77--Elden Campbell scored 18 points, and Jamal Mashburn 15 for the Hornets at Toronto. Baron Davis had 17 points for the Hornets, who have won four of five since the All-Star break.

Toronto’s Antonio Davis had a season-high 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost six straight since Vince Carter went on the injured list with a quadriceps strain.

Detroit 97, Washington 90--Corliss Williamson scored 22 points and fellow reserve Damon Jones added a season-high 17 as the Pistons beat the Michael Jordan-less Wizards at Detroit.

The Pistons won their fourth in a row and 11th in 13 games. At 30-22, they are eight games over .500 for the first time since mid-December.

The Wizards have lost both games that Jordan (knee) has missed this season. He is expected to be back in the lineup at home tonight against New Jersey.

Detroit was without starting center Cliff Robinson, who was suspended for one game by the NBA for a year-old DUI offense.

Milwaukee 115, Houston 76--Michael Redd scored a career-high 29 points, 26 in the fourth quarter, as the Bucks won in a rout at Milwaukee.

Redd made nine of 13 shots from three-point range, doing most of his damage after Milwaukee built a big lead. Sam Cassell returned from a toe injury to score 16 points and hand out seven assists in three quarters.

The Bucks led by as many as 49 points in the second half, so Coach George Karl was able to rest Cassell and the rest of his regulars.