Knicks Survive Late Collapse to Improve to 4-1, Hand Bulls 1st Loss of Season
The Chicago Bulls have fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten after the New York Knicks beat the hosts 104-103 on Thursday at United Center.
It wasn't easy for the Knicks, who held on for dear life after taking a 104-91 lead on a Julius Randle bucket with 2:59 left.
Chicago responded with a 12-0 run that included four free throws, a DeMar DeRozan three-point play, a Nikola Vucevic three-pointer and a Zach LaVine dunk, which came with 9.5 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Bulls played the foul game and eventually sent Randle to the free-throw line, and the Knicks superstar missed both shots. Vucevic grabbed the rebound, and the Bulls called timeout to move the ball up the court.
DeRozan got the ball and took a contested mid-range jumper for the win, but RJ Barrett's tough defense helped lead to a miss.
New York never trailed after the first quarter, when the Knicks outscored the Bulls 27-25. They steadily increased their lead throughout the game before the Bulls' late run.
Randle was sensational, posting 13 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. The Bulls hounded him on defense, and Randle found trouble getting his shot off (3-of-11). However, he still found a way to positively impact the game.
Of note, he escaped out of a double-team and found Mitchell Robinson in the post for an easy two in the fourth quarter:
Kemba Walker (21 points on 7-of-12 shooting) and RJ Barrett (20 points on 8-of-15 shooting) paced the Knicks' scoring attack.
Walker was simply money from three-point range:
Barrett was aggressive on offense, earning a three-point play after a Randle dish:
Derrick Rose scored 12 off the bench, and Taj Gibson dominated on the glass and on defense with six boards and three blocks. One of his blocked shots led to an Obi Toppin layup on the other end:
LaVine (25 points), Vucevic (22) and DeRozan (20) led the Bulls' offense, but Chicago didn't get much outside that trio, with all other Bulls combining for just 36 points on 14-of-36 shooting.
The Knicks and Bulls lead the Eastern Conference with 4-1 records alongside the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets. The 4-0 Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz are the only remaining undefeated teams.
