Derrick Rose sat out practice Monday to rest his sprained left ankle, but he has no intention of missing Game 5 Tuesday, when the Bulls, who lead the Indiana Pacers 3-1, try to finish off this first-round playoff series.
``It's not broke, so I'm definitely going to be playing,'' Rose said, adding that he'll receive a pain-killer shot before the game. ``I'm getting one for sure.''
Rose said he has taken shots twice before in his three-year Bulls career: ``My rookie year, my wrist was messed up and I got a shot. And last year, I had to get a shot in my back.''
Did it affect his performance? ``No.''
Rose said he is encouraged by the progress he's seen in the ankle, which he sprained late in the first quarter of Game 4 on Saturday. He returned quickly and wound up playing 43-1/2 minutes in that game, but his shot wasn't. He was 3 for 16 from the field in the final three quarters after going 3 for 6 before the injury.
``I just missed shots,'' Rose said. ``I could say it was my ankle, but there's no excuses when you're playing. That's the way I think about it.''
Rose, whose shots were consistently short after the injury Saturday, is confident he'll be able to adjust his shot on Tuesday.
``Just legs and follow through,'' he said. ``I have a lot of confidence In my shot. That night I was just off.''