Derrick Rose has spent the past couple days limping around in a walking boot after injuring his toe. But the Chicago Bulls point guard said it will take more pain than he's experiencing to keep him out Friday night at the Boston Celtics' TD Garden (8 p.m., ESPN).
Rose told ESPN's John Buccigross that he plans to play against the Celtics despite still wearing the walking boot to protect his injury on Friday morning.
The defending MVP is averaging 20.7 points and 8.6 assists this season as the Bulls have gotten off to an NBA-leading 10-2 start. Rose poured in 31 points and dished 11 helpers in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, but the pain in his toe worsened, causing him to miss Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards.
The Bulls still managed to defeated the lowly Wizards in Rose's absence. Third-string point guard John Lucas III made his first-ever NBA start and notched 25 points, eight assists and eight rebounds to lead Chicago's 78-64 win.
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