ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell spoke to Derrick Rose on Tuesday afternoon, and the news is not good.
Derrick just told me he's not playing tonight.
— Nick Friedell (@ESPNChiBulls) January 17, 2012
Rose did not participate in shootaround with the Bulls. It's the second consecutive game that the point guard will miss, and the third time he's had to sit out in the last five games. Chicago had no trouble beating the Washington Wizards without Rose on Jan. 11, but they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 102-86 without him on Monday night.
More: Bulls vs Phoenix Suns: 2011-12 Game Preview #16
Rose is averaging 20.8 points and 8.7 assists per game this season.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. Check out SB Nation's Bulls blog Blog-a-Bull and Suns blog Bright Side of the Sun for continued coverage of tonight's game. And for more from around the NBA, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.