It was the first matchup between Rose and Evans, who both played point guard for one season at Memphis State before moving on to the NBA. While Rose was earning Rookie of the Year honors a year ago with the Bulls, Evans took over the starring role at Memphis and later was the fourth overall pick by the Kings.

Fortunately for the Bulls, they were able to win on a night when Rose didn't play well. He made two of 12 shots, finishing with 10 points and seven assists.

After building a 17-point lead with 4:49 left in the third, the Bulls suddenly went cold as the Kings pulled within nine on two occasions. But Salmons closed out the quarter with nine points in the final 1:44 to help Chicago carry an 86-72 advantage into the fourth.

"We got beat by a good team who was playing very well," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "They came out of their shooting slump at the wrong time as far as we're concerned."

Notes

Andres Nocioni, who came over to the Kings in the Salmons deal, missed the game with a hip pointer. ... Chicago's Jannero Pargo hit a 3-pointer to end the first quarter and scored seven quick points in the second, giving him 10 points over a 54-second span. He finished with 12. ... Bulls rookie forward Taj Gibson fouled out early in the fourth quarter after playing just 12 minutes.