MEMPHIS—The Bulls were missing two key players, so Derrick Rose picked up the slack with his first career triple-double.Returning to the city where he starred at the University of Memphis, Rose scored 22 points, handed out 12 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 96-84 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.The Bulls won comfortably despite missing power forward Carlos Boozer, who did not make the trip to Memphis because of an injured left ankle. Taj Gibson started in his place and scored 10 points.Rose said the team “came out with an edge” because they were not only missing Boozer, but also Joakim Noah, who is out with an injured right hand.Luol Deng scored 28 points, while Rose used his superior quickness and court vision to outperform the Grizzlies’ starting backcourt of Mike Conley and Sam Young, who scored just 10 points combined.The Bulls broke a five-game losing streak in Memphis and has won three straight overall. Kyle Korver scored 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting from three-point range, and the Bulls outscored the Grizzlies 33-3 from beyond the arc.The Bulls’ defense was stifling at times, holding the Grizzlies to 38 percent shooting. Grizzlies leading scorer Rudy Gay, who entered the game averaging 21 points, was held to nine points on 1-of-10 shooting.Zach Randolph led Memphis with 21 points and 13 rebounds.Thibodeau said before the game that Boozer is day-to-day, and it’s not clear whether he will play Tuesday at home against Charlotte. Boozer missed the first 15 games of the season with a broken right hand.Young, usually a reserve player, started at shooting guard for the Grizzlies, as guards Tony Allen and Xavier Henry both missed the game with knee injuries.Memphis opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run, cutting the lead to 79-68 on a jump shot by reserve forward Darrell Arthur. The Grizzlies trimmed the lead to nine points on an O.J. Mayo 3-pointer with 6:52 left.A 3-pointer by Deng gave the Bulls an 87-75 advantage. A short hook shot by Marc Gasol cut the lead to nine points with 2:24 left, but another 3-pointer by Deng sealed the game.The Bulls built a 66-51 lead after a layup by Rose with 6:45 left in the third quarter. Two baskets by Deng gave the Bulls an 18-point lead with 4:40 left in the third.Deng hit a 3 to put the Bulls ahead by 22 points, their largest lead of the game. A three-point play by Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez made it 79-60 entering the fourth quarter.The Bulls built a 38-21 lead on a Korver layup about halfway through the second quarter. His 3-pointer with 1:40 left in the half made it 51-37, and the Bulls a 53-42 lead into halftime.Korver scored all 14 of his first-half points in the second quarter, sinking 4 of 5 from behind the arc.Randolph scored 16 first-half points, including 12 in the second quarter. But the other Grizzlies struggled shooting, spending most of the half in the 25 percent range.The Bulls shot 56 percent in the first half.Before the game, baseball All-Star Willie Mays and NBA Hall of Famers Willis Reed and Lenny Wilkens were honored with the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award, in remembrance of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. King was assassinated in Memphis in April 1968.

NOTES—Rose’s triple-double was the first for the Bulls since Kirk Hinrich’s on Dec. 14, 2007…..Mayo entered the game making just 10 of his previous 44 shots. He went 7 of 14 for 15 points in the game…..Memphis came in with a 4-4 record on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.The Bulls previous win in Memphis was on Dec. 15, 2004…..Monday was Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau’s 53rd birthday.

It was one week to the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941 when the Bears and Green Bay Packers met in the Playoffs for the only time,and on Dec 14,1941 the Bears beat the Pack 33-14 at Wrigley Field in a tie-breaker game for the NFL’s Western Division Title.A week later the Bears beat the New York Giants.also at Wrigley 37-9 to win the NFL Title. Since then,the Bears and Green Bay have never met in the Post Season. THAT will change next Sunday here at Soldier Field since the Bears ousted the Seattle Seahawks 35-24 in a game that was not that close to get past the NFC Divisional Round. Jay Cutler passed for touchdowns to Greg Olsen and Kellen Davis and also scored a pair on the ground in his NFL Playoff debut,and the Seahawks got three late cheap TD’s to make the final score closer than the game truly was.

The Eagles,Falcons,Ravens,and now Seahawks—all have played in the Playoffs like they are for THE BIRDS! The Cardinals didn’t even make the post season.The Field appeared to be in decent shape,but it’s still one handled by the Chicago Park District. Enough said!

Seattle won the toss and chose to receive so Lovie Smith didn’t have to defer(which he would have). Robbie Gould kicked off to Leon Washington who returned to his 24. Washington on a misdirection picked up nine.Marshawn Lynch was then hit for a two yard loss by Israel Idonoje.Matt Hasselbeck then threw an incomplete pass and Jon Ryan punted to Devin Hester to made a falling down fair catch at his 34. Matt Forte went off left tackle for five to the 39.On a second effort,Forte turned a possible no gainer to a three yard pick up to the right side.So after two Forte runs,Cutler on a play action got his buddy Olsen on a 58 yard fly pattern which caught the Seahawks flat foot. 7-0 Bears. The Seahawks started at their 24,and Hasselbeck found John Carlson for 14. He was knocked out at the 38 and badly shaken up and attended to for several minutes.When play resumed, Golden Tate caught a 13 yard pass to the Bear 49. Backup TE Cameron Morrah then missed a 20 yard pass and Justin Forsett was nailed for a one yard loss by Brian Urlacher.Morrah caught a ten yard pass to make it fourth and one and Ryan punted out at the Bears nine.On a second down, Cutler hit Johnny Knox at the 27,but the drive stalled and and Brad Maynard kicked to Tate who caught it at his 37.A three and out,helped by a nice Chris Harris pass break up and Ryan punted to Hester who was forced out by the kicker at midfield. A Cutler to Olsen pass along the sideline for 33 yards got the ball on the Seahawks 12.Earl Bennett took a Wildcat snap and went around left end to the three. Cutler almost threw an interception but Jordan Babineaux dropped it or he may have had a 99 yard pick six. Forte was stood up at the three leaving a fourth and one.Cutler,after a time out actually snuck for a two yard gain and a first down at the one.Forte went airborne and was downed by Earl Thomas for no gain.Chester Taylor then carried in untouched to make it 14-0 with 1:19 left in the quarter.The Seahawks again went three and bye bye,hurt by a holding penalty than nullified a first down. Ryan kicked out of bounds at the Bears 37.Cutler connected to Olsen for 22 and Taylor for nine to the Seattle 33.He then picked up three for a first down to the 30.Cutler stayed pretty hot with a first down pass to Bennett to the 11.Forte got a quick five to the six.Cutler then ran it in himself to make it 21-0 with 10-01 to go in the half. Is the rout on? Seattle got a first down thanks to a horrible pass interference flag,but three plays later Ryan punted again,to Hester who fair caught at his 21.Forte tipped a screen pass to himself and got 26 yards to his 47.Forte then got 11 more to the Seattle 42.After an incomplete pass,Taylor bolted around right end but a crack back resulted in a 15 yard penalty and a second and 25.Cutler hit Knox to get nine of those yards back.Cutler was then sacked,fumbled but J’Marcus Webb recovered. Maynard punted and Corey Graham downed it at the Seattle one. After picking up one first down,the Seahawks had to punt again and the Bears took over at the Seattle 44.The half ended 21-0.

The Bears received the second half touchdown and both teams had to punt on their first possession.On the Bears second series,they took over at their 30 and on their drive Cutler hit Brandon Manumaleuna with a pass and the TE’s knee hit Marcus Trufant’s head and he was laying on the ground for almost ten minutes before he was taken off.The Bears then got to the Seattle nine and Cutler,on another broken play scrambled to the right side for his second TD of the game to make it 28-0. Washington returned the kickoff 62 yards to the Bears 30,giving the Seahawks their best field position.Hasselbeck hit Brandon Stockley at the Bears 19. The Back Judge Lee Dyer called an illegal contact on the Bears on a pass that was five yards out of the end zone,yet the best the Seahawks could do was a 30 yard Olindo Mare field goal which drew gigantic boos as Seattle got the the board,closing the Bears lead to 28-3 which is how the third quarter ended. Cutler ran for 21 yards to his 43. Then Mike Martz got too cute by having Forte throw a halfback option pass which went right to Aaron Curry for an interception.An awful pass interception set up a first down at the Bears 17.Then they got a first at goal at the two.Two incompleted passes later, Hasselbeck hit Mike Williams with a quick pass to the left side and it was 28-10 with 11:21 to go. The Bears got that back when Cutler hit Davis who outreached two defensive backs and scored on a 39 yard bomb,but the Seahawks,against the Bears soft prevent defense scored two cheapies in the final 2:16. One a 3 yarder to Williams,set up by a pair of questionable pass interference flags,and one to Brandon Stokley from the 9 with 1:24 to play. The Bears recovered the on-side kick and Cutler took a couple of knees to kill the clock.

NOTES—Cutler was 15-28 for 274 yards,2 TD’s and no interceptions.He also rushed for 43 yards on 8 carries for two scores.His passer rating was 111.3…..Hasselbeck was 26-46 for 258 yards and 3 TD’s.He also had zero interceptions and a QB rating of 94.3…..Forte rushed for 80 yards on 25 carries…..Urlacher was the Bears leading tackler with 7 while Lance Briggs had 6 and D.J.Moore added 5…..The Bears are now 2-0 against Seattle in Post Season play,the only previous playoff meeting was in the 2006 Bears Super Bowl season when they beat the Seahawks 27-24 in overtime on a Robbie Gould field goal.

LES

Derrick Rose scored 34 points and Kyle Korver hit a crucial 3-pointer with 25 seconds left Saturday night as the Bulls withstood a stellar performance by Dwyane Wade to beat the Miami Heat 99-96.Miami, playing without injured LeBron James for a second straight game, lost its third straight despite a 33-point performance from Chicago native Wade, who had 12 in the fourth quarter, including three straight 3-pointers to give the Heat the lead.The Heat’s Chris Bosh added 17, 11 in the third quarter, but hurt his ankle in the closing second of the period when he went to the floor during a scramble for the ball. He returned to the game in the fourth but played only briefly before leaving the game as Miami forged through the final period without two of its stars.Rose had 11 in the final quarter as he and Wade matched shots in a wild finish that resembled a playoff game.Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago. Eddie House scored 13 for the Heat, who had to rely on its bench.It was a Rose vs. Wade showdown over the final two minutes as two of the NBA’s best players matched shots.Rose drove for a basket, Wade answered with a 3-pointer and then Rose converted a three-point play after hanging in the air for a jumper around Mario Chalmers to put the Bulls up 94-90.But Wade hit yet another 3-pointer with 1:07 to go and after a Bulls turnover, Wade connected again from long distance and the Heat had a 96-95 lead with 37 seconds remaining.Rose missed from inside but after a missed tip, Korver came up with the loose ball and sank his 3-pointer with 25.5 seconds left to put the Bulls ahead for good 98-96.After Wade nearly lost the ball in the lane, the Heat retrieved it and Chalmers missed a 3-pointer from the key and Ronnie Brewer rebounded with 4.4 seconds to go. Brewer missed the first and made the second of two free throws before Wade’s jumper was off with just under a second left.Rose sliced through four defenders for a twisting layup to cap a startling 17-0 run opening the second half that gave Bulls a 65-53 lead. He also sank back-to-back 3-pointers early in the quarter and fed Keith Bogans for another as the Bulls appeared ready to run away.The Bulls had trailed by five at the half after blowing a 14-point lead as Wade scored 21 first-half points. But during the 17-point outburst, Wade — booed(as precidted) loudly by fans in his hometown when introduced — picked up his third and fourth fouls and suddenly the Heat were without two of their two biggest stars as he joined a gum-chewing James on the bench.But Bosh, the third of the Heat’s Big Three, brought the Heat back with 11 points as Miami rallied to tie it at 67 late in the period.The Bulls went back up five and when Bosh went to the floor during a scramble for the ball, he stayed on the court grabbing his ankle with 30 seconds left in the third and then finally went to the bench. And with Wade, Bosh and James all on the bench, Chalmers drove for a hoop to cut it to three.James went through some pregame shooting, even a couple of dunks, to test the ankle but then sat out his second straight game.The Bulls made their pitch last summer to the two-time MVP and also met with Wade, hoping to lure the Chicago native to return home.With James out of the lineup, the fans let Wade have it during pregame introductions and continued the loud boos every time he touched the ball early in the game.James, meanwhile, sat on the end of the Heat bench watching intently and applauding his team’s effort without him.

NOTES—To push Rose for the All-Star game, the Bulls put placards with his picture on every seat and left roses on the writer’s work table. He is currently running second among Eastern Conference guards in fan balloting.

NASHVILLE—Marcel Goc scored the only goal in the shootout, and the Nashville Predators rallied from a 2-0 deficit after two periods to beat the Blackhawks 3-2 Saturday in the fropnt half of a home and home series.Goc took the first shot in the shootout for Nashville, and goaltender Pekka Rinne made it stand up by stopping Jonathan Toews and gloving Patrick Kane’s shot. Patrick Sharp had a last chance, but his shot went wide of the net. Nashville captain and All-Star Shea Weber and Jerred Smithson each scored less than four minutes apart in the third period.Tomas Kopecky scored a power-play goal, and Viktor Stalberg had a goal for the Hawks.Nashville has won three of the first four games in this Central Division rivalry against the team that ousted the Predators from the playoffs in the opening round last April.The teams meet again Sunday night at the United Center.

ATLANTA—Brett who? Aaron Rodgers has turned these NFL playoffs into his own showcase.Carving up the NFC’s top-seeded team, Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and led the Green Bay Packers to their second straight postseason road victory with a stunning 48-21 rout of the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night.The Packers (12-6) will have to win one more on the road to complete their improbable run from sixth seed to the Super Bowl, but nothing looks out of the question the way Rodgers is playing. He’ll lead Green Bay into the NFC championship game at either Soldier Field or Seattle next weekend. Rodgers completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards, more than Brett Favre — the guy he replaced in Green Bay — ever threw for in a playoff game. After knocking off Michael Vick and the Eagles in Philadelphia, then dominating Matt Ryan and the Falcons in Atlanta, Rodgers is creating his own legacy in Titletown USA.This was the most points ever scored by the Packers in a playoff game. They could’ve left punter Tim Masthay at home. He was never needed.Green Bay scored 35 consecutive points, including Tramon Williams’ 70-yard interception return on the final play of the first half that left the Falcons (13-4) and a crowd of more than 69,000 in a state of shock as the teams headed to the locker room. Ryan, who beat out Rodgers for a spot in the Pro Bowl, had a miserable night. He also was picked off in the end zone, costing Atlanta another scoring chance early on that might’ve changed the complexion of the game, and lost a fumble attempting a simple sneak. In two career playoff games, Matty Ice is 0-2 with six turnovers and a safety.The Falcons went into the playoffs as the NFC’s top-seeded team for only the second time in franchise history. The result was the same as the first time: one and done.At least the fans didn’t have to deal with the heartache of blowing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, the fate suffered by the 1980 Falcons in their 30-27 loss to Dallas. This game was pretty much over when Rodgers guided the Packers on an 80-yard drive to open the second half, running the last 7 yards for the TD that made it 35-14.When Rodgers drove the Packers on yet another scoring drive, capped off with a 7-yard pass to John Kuhn late in the third quarter, thousands of red-clad fans headed for the exits, not even bothering to hang around for the final period of a magical season than turned into a green nightmare in the playoffs.The Falcons simply couldn’t stop Rodgers, who carved up the Atlanta defense on four drive of at least 80 yards.Time after time, Rodgers ducked a shoulder or pulled off a nifty spin move to get away from a rusher, leaving him grasping at air. Rodgers put that extra time to good use, inevitably finding the open man in what became an increasingly tortured night for the Falcons.Early on, Rodgers spent plenty of time picking on Falcons nickel back Christopher Owens, who was filling in for injured Brian Williams. Owens was twice called for penalties in a desperate bid to slow Rodgers and his deep receiving corps.But no one on the Atlanta defense did much to stop Rodgers after the opening drive, when Stephen Nicholas chased down Greg Jennings from behind and forced a fumble that was recovered by Brett Grimes around midfield.

PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Steelers stood around as the Baltimore Ravens scored an inexplicable first-half touchdown. Then it was the error-prone Ravens who watched helplessly as the team they love to beat most came back to beat them when it mattered most.Ben Roethlisberger hit rookie Antonio Brown on a 58-yard pass play on third-and-19, and Rashard Mendenhall scored from the 2 with 1:33 remaining to give the Steelers a 31-24 comeback victory against the Ravens in an AFC divisional playoff game Saturday.The Steelers, 9-0 against division teams in the playoffs, advance to their fifth AFC championship game in 10 seasons next Sunday — at New England if the Patriots beat the Jets on Sunday, in Pittsburgh if the Jets win. They will be play to reach the Super Bowl for third time in six seasons.The Steelers (13-4) were trailing 21-7 at halftime after turnovers created two Ravens touchdowns. But they came back with the help of three Baltimore turnovers in the third quarter. It was so bad, the Ravens’ minus-4 yards in offense wasn’t the worst of it.Baltimore was outgained 263-126 and Joe Flacco was 16 of 30 for 125 yards as the Ravens became the eighth team in NFL playoff history to fail to gain at least 100 yards in the first three quarters. All eight teams lost.The Ravens’ last chance to beat the Steelers — they haven’t in three postseason tries — ended when T.J. Houshmandzadeh dropped Flacco’s fourth-down pass at the Steelers’ 38 with 1:03 remaining. Failing to protect the ball cost the Ravens — even after they scored two touchdowns in less than 30 seconds in the first half. Defensive end Cory Redding returned a Roethlisberger fumble for a touchdown that both teams thought was an incompletion, but that wasn’t nearly enough on a day when the Ravens offense did so little.With Baltimore up 21-7, Ryan Clark forced a rare fumble by Ray Rice on a screen pass, and LaMarr Woodley recovered at the 23. The play re-energized the crowd of 64,879 that had grown silent as Baltimore opened its two-TD lead.Mendenhall ran for 14 yards before Roethlisberger’s 9-yard scoring pass to Heath Miller, who missed two games after sustaining a concussion on a hit by Jameel McClain during the Steelers’ 13-10 victory in Baltimore last month.Later in the quarter, Flacco overthrew tight end Todd Heap, and Clark returned the interception 17 yards to the 25. Three plays later, Roethlisberger found ol’ reliable Ward, absent in the offense most of the day, for an 8-yard touchdown pass and it was tied at 21.Along the sideline, the Ravens had the look of a team that couldn’t believe it had squandered the lead — and couldn’t figure out how to get it back. They never did.Roethlisberger went 19 of 32 for 226 yards as he beat the Ravens for the seventh successive time in a rivalry in which both teams had won twice by three-point margins during the past two seasons. The asterisk: Roethlisberger didn’t play in either Steelers loss.Baltimore turned it over for the third time in nine minutes as center Matt Birk snapped the ball early to Flacco, who never got his hands on it, and Pro Bowl defensive end Brett Keisel recovered at the 23.The drive stalled, but Shaun Suisham, who had missed earlier, converted a 35-yard field goal with 12:15 remaining to give Pittsburgh its first lead since its opening drive at 24-21.An apparent Lardarius Webb punt return touchdown was negated by a holding penalty on Marcus Smith, but the Ravens — with only 36 yards of offense in the half to that point — tied it at 24 on Billy Cundiff’s 24-yard field goal with 3:54 remaining. That was too much time for Roethlisberger, who excels in fourth quarter comebacks.The Steelers rallied despite losing both starting tackles, Flozell Adams (illness) and Jonathan Scott (leg), forcing even more patching of an offensive line that lost its projected two tackle starters to injuries months ago.Each team took advantage of a long pass interference penalty to score during a penalty-filled first quarter. Josh Wilson’s 37-yard penalty for yanking on Mike Wallace led to Mendenhall’s 1-yard touchdown run on the Steelers’ first possession.On a third-and-15 play, Steelers backup Anthony Madison’s 33-yard pass interference penalty set up Rice’s 14-yard TD run up the middle.Then it really got interesting.After Roethlisberger threw incomplete on the Steelers’ first play following the kickoff, Terrell Suggs knocked the ball loose from the quarterback as he tried to get off a pass. Roethlisberger pump faked but, before he could bring his right arm forward, the ball came out.As Suggs celebrated the apparent incompletion, the ball lay on the turf for one, two, three full seconds. Haloti Ngata was closest to it but no one touched it until an alert Redding — realizing the whistle hadn’t blown — picked it up and ran it into the end zone from the 13.Even after a touchdown was signaled, no one from Pittsburgh moved.Mendenhall fumbled on the Steelers’ subsequent possession, Ed Reed recovered and Flacco threw a 4-yard TD pass to Heap. The Ravens were making it look easy in a rivalry in which no game is won easily. They should have known better.

MADISON—Jon Leuer scored 26 points and hit a critical 3-pointer down the stretch as No. 20 Wisconsin beat No. 16 Illinois 76-66 at the Kohl Center on Saturday.Jordan Taylor added 22 for the Badgers (13-4, 3-2 Big Ten), who rebounded from an overtime loss at Michigan State.Leuer wasn’t the only Wisconsin big man who showed he could shoot from outside. Keaton Nankivil scored 14, including three 3-pointers in the second half.Demetri McCamey scored 23 and Brandon Paul added 15 for the Illini (13-5, 3-2), who have lost two straight after beginning conference play 3-0.Wisconsin evened the season series with the Illini, who beat the Badgers 69-61 on Jan. 2.Could there be a rubber match at Indy’s Conseco Field House in March?

EAST LANSING—Freshman Keith Appling scored 19 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer and two key free throws, as Michigan State rallied to beat Northwestern 71-67 in overtime Saturday.Kalin Lucas added 18 points and Draymond Green,who killed NU a couple of weeks ago in Evanston,did it again with 16 this time for the Spartans (12-5, 4-1 Big Ten), who needed an extra five minutes to win for the second time this week.Drew Crawford scored 16 points and Juice Thompson 15 for the Wildcats (11-5, 2-4), who led by eight late in the first half and by three early in overtime.NU’s John Shurna, who was averaging 20.1 points, was held to six points and 2-for-10 shooting, thanks largely to the defense of Delvon Roe.Michigan State trailed 23-18 at halftime but played much better after the break, just as it had in home wins over Minnesota and Wisconsin.This was another example of how the Wildcats are still a bit shy of being an NCAA team for the first time ever since they need to win games like this.

ROSEMONT—Kemba Walker scored 22 of his 31 points in the first half, Jeremy Lamb added 13 and No. 10 Connecticut won 82-62 on Saturday to hand DePaul its 18th straight loss in Big East play.The 31 points matched Walker’s career high in conference play, and he also had four assists and three steals. Alex Oriakhi had 11 points for the Huskies (14-2, 3-2), who never trailed in winning their fourth straight against DePaul.Cleveland Melvin, who verbally committed to UConn before changing his mind, had 25 points for the Blue Demons (6-11, 0-5). It was the fifth straight loss for DePaul, which has gone almost a year since its last Big East win.

MILWAUKEE—Geoff McCammon’s 21 points helped Loyola end a season-long three-game losing streak with a 71-65 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Saturday.McCammon made 3 of 5 3-pointers for the Ramblers (11-8, 2-6 Horizon League), who shot 55.1 percent (27 of 49). Terrance Hill scored 13 points, Ben Averkamp 12 and Andy Polka 10. Courtney Stanley had five assists.Anthony Hill’s 19 points led the Panthers (9-10, 4-4), who had won three of their last four. Kaylon Williams added 17 points and six assists.UWM led 31-18 with 3:35 left in the first half and 36-30 at intermission.But Loyola fought back, and the game was tied 48-48 with 10:43 to play. Then Averkamp scored on a layup and Walt Gibler converted two free throws to give the Ramblers a 52-48 advantage. Their lead peaked at 62-54.