"Derrick Rose, sprained toe and all, wasn't going to let this one slip away.

Rose declared himself healthy enough to play after warming up before the game and helped the Bulls jump out to a 20-point lead against the comatose Celtics. When the Celtics came to life in the second half and cut the lead to one early in the fourth quarter, it was Rose who made sure his team ­escaped with an 88-79 win at TD Garden on Friday night.

"The great players find a way," Rose said. "I want to be great. This is something I have to fight through. It's not stopping me."

Rose was far from 100 percent, but he wore an insole to prevent his toe from bending and immediately made his presence felt when he penetrated for a layup to score the first two points of the game. Rose went on to score 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. He also had seven assists and four rebounds.

"You almost expect that from him," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He let the game come to him. He didn't try to do too much. In the second half, when it was time to make something happen, he made big play after big play. We've grown accustomed to that.""