Bulls' Rose probable for Thursday's TNT showdown with Raptors

Derrick Rose's return from a pair of sprained ankles went well on Monday, as the Chicago Bulls point guard seems to have made it through no worse for wear.

After a pair of off days, the team is calling Rose probable to play on Thursday against the Toronto Raptors in a nationally televised game. In what's been somewhat of a frustrating start to the year, Rose opened the season playing two games, missed a pair, came back for one, missed another pair, and returned Monday to score 24 points with seven assists in 32 minutes, pushing his season averages to 17.5 and 5.8, respectively.

Rose is taking the longview with his health and the Bulls sit at 6-2 so the frustrations may be worth it.

If Rose does play, he'll go head-to-head with Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry - the man who may have claimed the Eastern Conference's best point guard title while Rose dealt with his injuries over the past few seasons. Lowry has the Raptors at 7-1 and atop the conference, averaging 18 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Because of injuries, Rose hasn't played the Raptors since Jan. 14, 2012 and hasn't squared off with Lowry since Dec. 4, 2010.