Derrick Rose couldn’t hold back the tears after his career-high 50 points and game-winning block in the Timberwolves’ 128-125 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Wearing a throwback jersey, Rose looked more like the 2011 MVP than the player who has struggled in recent stints with the Knicks and Cavaliers. He was released by the Jazz in February of last season after being traded by the Cavs before signing with the Timberwolves in March.
Asked what the 50-point game meant to him, Rose, wiping away tears, said, “Everything.”
“I worked my ass off,” he said in a postgame interview. “I did this for the franchise, the fans, the organization.
“I’m doing everything just to win, and tonight was a hell of a night.”
The Timberwolves were down two starters, including the discontented Jimmy Butler, and Rose was a floor general, guiding the team to the win.
“Most I ever talked to my teammates,” he said.
Rose was mobbed by his teammates after the win and had to compose himself before he could take questions in an on-court interview.