LeBron James successfully guarded Derrick Rose during the final minutes of Miami's 97-93 win over the Bulls on Sunday. 

Rose helped lead Chicago back into the game with a 13-2 run during the middle of the fourth quarter. But James then clamped down on Rose, limiting his ability to drive the lane.

Rose scored 34 points on 28 shots in the game.

“[Rose] is an unbelievable talent,” James said. “He’s a great player, and a great person. I always take the challenge, and it’s good to be out there playing against him knowing he’s one of the best in the league.’’

Rose settled for two three-pointers and went three minutes without attempting a shot.

“That’s the luxury that we have,” said Chris Bosh of the James-Rose matchup. “Those floaters were tearing us up. And [James] was able just to kind of keep [Rose] out of the paint.’’

James defended Rose for large stretches of last season's Eastern Conference Finals.