Even if Derrick Rose believed bad things happen in threes, it wouldn’t matter.

Twice Dwight Howard has knocked Rose out of games with hard fouls in the lane.

But Rose promised before Friday night’s game against the Magic that he would not change his strategy.

“No, I’m still going to attack, go to the hole,” he said. “I’m a drive-first guy. But when you play him, you have to know he will contest everything.”

Rose made the adjustments in the Bulls’ impressive 97-83 victory at the Amway Center. Rather than going all the way to the rack, he pulled up several times to hit floaters over Howard’s outstretched arms.

“Derrick has quite an array of shots,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And he’s great at finishing.”

Rose played with a bruised left elbow, the result of hitting the deck Wednesday night on a foul by the Pistons’ Damien Wilkins. He wore a protective sleeve on his left elbow, but it was tough to tell if the injury affected him.

– Reported by Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune

Change is coming to the Charlotte Bobcats, following a 102-96 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Start Byron Mullens at center? Probably, and that could come as soon as Saturday night against the Indiana Pacers.

Play D.J. Augustin and Kemba Walker together? Yes, in stretches, so long as the Bobcats can survive in zone defense.

Use Tyrus Thomas primarily as a small forward? Yes, with Corey Maggette out up to a month with a hamstring strain suffered Wednesday against the New York Knicks.

The Bobcats made up a nine-point deficit in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter after coach Paul Silas shook up his lineup — Mullens at center, the two point guards together, Thomas at small forward in his first game back from a sprained ankle.

– Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer