Derrick Rose made his return from almost two-month absence after undergoing a knee procedure, recording 9 points in 19 minutes of action in a 105-103 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida.

Rose, who underwent a meniscectomy procedure to remove a slight MCL tear on his right knee, were a little bit rusty in his first game since February 27, shooting 3-for-9 from the field and 1-for-7 from three point line.

Like Us on Facebook

The 26-year old Rose is expected to play around 20 minutes per game in succeeding games, but head coach Tom Thibodeau claimed that having the former NBA MVP is a big plus for the team as they make a push towards the playoffs.

"Just him being on the floor is a plus for our team," Thibodeau said in an interview before Wednesday game against the Magic via Nick Friedell of ESPN. "I'm not expecting him to play 35 minutes. I'm not expecting him to score 30 points. Just go out there, run the team, play to your strengths, cover up your weaknesses, make your teammates better. That's all I want him to do."

Jimmy Butler led way for the Bulls with 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while reserve power forward Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson chipped in 15 points each for the Bulls, who dropped to 46-32 in the season.

Meanwhile, Nikola Mirotic racked up 22 points and 7 rebounds and rookie point guard Elfrid Payton continued to turn heads after flirting with another triple-double, tallying 17 points, 9 rebounds and 9 dimes in 40 minutes of playing time.

Trailing for most the game, the Magic used a furious 26-16 run in the fourth quarter to beat the playoff-bound Bulls and finish their season series with two games each.

Tagsderrick rose, Bulls news & rumors, Derrick Rose return update, NBA Trade Rumors