Derrick Rose injures elbow in Bulls' victory over Pistons

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Updated: February 6, 2012 9:43AM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Rip Hamilton can only hope the most memorable event during his Detroit homecoming wasn’t an injury to Derrick Rose.

Just when it seemed Hamilton’s return to the city he called home for nine seasons would be uneventful, Rose drove hard to the basket, was fouled by Damien Wilkins and came down hard on his left elbow late in the Bulls’ 99-83 victory over the Pistons on Wednesday night.

X-rays were negative, but Rose had his elbow wrapped in ice and was in obvious pain while dressing in the locker room after the game. A team representative said Rose wasn’t injured and therefore there would be no injury update.

‘‘It’s just like any other time when you fall,’’ Rose said. ‘‘It’s definitely going to be sore.’’

Asked if he would be able to play against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic on Friday night, Rose said, ‘‘It’s way to early [to know]. I’ll be fine.’’

The Bulls are already down one point guard with C.J. Watson sidelined with a sprained left elbow of his own. Fortunately, they got Hamilton back before the game.

The veteran guard, who signed with the Bulls before the season, was applauded when he was introduced at the Palace of Auburn Hills, but only 9,125 witnessed his return. That had more to do with the state of his former franchise than his legacy as a key member of the 2004 NBA championship team.

‘‘I couldn’t wait for the ball to be thrown up,’’ Hamilton said. ‘‘There was a lot of emotion early in the game, being on the visitors’ side. I’m not accustomed to it in this building. I was just like, ‘Man, don’t start crying or anything crazy like that.’’

The Bulls’ thrilling comeback from a 19-point deficit against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday was a stunning turn of events. Their fifth straight victory Wednesday was more of a foregone conclusion.

Hamilton, who missed two games with an injured groin, drew a foul on a driving layup and made the free throw to complete a three-point play to give the Bulls an early 9-2 lead they would never relinquish. He later buried a 22-footer to give the Bulls a 57-37 lead with 10:11 left in the third quarter.

‘‘I thought he handled the whole situation very well,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said. ‘‘He got himself ready to play and was focused.
To start the game, he came out and made a play. He didn’t try to do too much. That speaks of his experience.’’

Carlos Boozer had 19 points and seven rebounds. Rose added 17 points and 10 assists while Joakim Noah had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

‘‘A lot better,’’ Thibodeau said. ‘‘The ball moved. Extra passes. Our spacing was a lot better. We ran the floor harder as a group. I liked the offense a lot.’’

The Bulls were as happy to get the win as Hamilton was to put his homecoming behind him, although there were so many empty seats that it didn’t feel like the arena he remembered.

‘‘It looked unbelievable,’’ Hamilton said. ‘‘When I was here with Chauncey [Billups] and Rasheed [Wallace], we had seven years of straight sellouts. It was always great, always awesome. To come in here and see it half empty is tough, but a lot of things have changed. The economy is messed up.’’