Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has been dealing with back spasms and missed the first matchup against the Boston Celtics on Sunday -- a 95-91 loss that featured a 32-point, 15-assist, 10-rebound triple-double by Rajon Rondo -- but he is trying to make sure he plays in the rematch. Rose warmed up in morning shootaround on Thursday and will receive treatment before the game, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com, and the reigning league MVP told Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago he is a game-time decision.
However, maybe he isn't quite ready to make his return to the lineup. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune adds that Rose merely shot free throws during the practice and the team's star even admitted "I wasn't able to run any." C.J. Watson struggled to contain Rondo in the first matchup, and didn't do very well on the offensive end either. He scored 22 points on a paltry 34.8 percent shooting (8-23), and even after scoring eight points and dishing out an assist during the final 5:06 of the game, he missed a driving layup with 49.9 seconds left, rushed an errant three-point attempt with 27.6 seconds and missed his second free throw that would have cut the margin back to three points during the Bulls' last best chance with 11.9 seconds on the clock.
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