Derrick Rose ditches his mask midway through Clippers game

A broken orbital bone suffered in the first practice of the year forced Derrick Rose into a face mask to start the season. Thursday, the point guard finally felt ready to take it off.

A few minutes into the third quarter Thursday night against the Clippers, Rose left the mask on the bench for the first time all season.

Whether it gave him a new sense of confidence or just changed up his rhythm, losing the mask definitely didn’t hurt Rose. After being held scoreless during the first half of the game, Rose took his first opportunity to score in the third quarter.

Rose drove the lane and put up a floater. Not taking the bank shot that he has gone to so often early in the year.

Rose still hasn’t had a very impressive game. Fortunately, his point guard counterpart, Chris Paul, hasn’t either. Rose’s Bulls teammates have picked up for the former All-Star, pushing the Bulls out to a double digit lead in the second half.