The New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls battled in their first matchup of the season. The Knicks were coming off a win while the Bulls were coming off a opening night defeat at the hands of the Miami Heat. This game started very rough for the Knicks as they committed six turnovers in the first quarter and would go on to commit 13 in the first half alone. Those struggles led to the Bulls capitalizing on those chances, which led to easy baskets. The first half was fairly close despite the Knicks struggles. The Bulls took a lead of 43-38 into the half.
The second half was a battle for the Knicks as they fought back that entire half. That battling would lead the Knicks on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to take the lead. But in the end the Bulls would hold on to win the game thanks to Derrick Rose. Despite struggling with his shot tonight, Rose came up in the clutch as he made a terrific shot to give the Bulls a one point lead. The Bulls would hold on to win 82-81.
For the Bulls Luol Deng didn’t have tons of points tonight, but the start he had for the Bulls was huge. His 12 points in the first half were big for the Bulls in terms of their lead. Deng was able to provide points early for the Bulls which was a main reason for their lead. Deng went on to score 17 points.
The Knicks did lose this game tonight, but the defensive intensity that they had in the fourth quarter was a reason they were close to winning this one. Holding the Bulls to 11 points in the fourth quarter, the Knicks defense was at its’ best. If they can play the way they did in the fourth quarter they will win a lot of games.
The effort from Tyson Chandler late in this game was a huge positive. He was a beast on the boards tonight as he collected 19 rebounds. Chandler was key late in the game as he did his patented “Tyson Tip-out”. Those offensive boards took time off the clock, but also gave the Knicks crucial possessions late in the game. Chandler also played great defense late in this game. In the last game Chandler did the same exact thing when he made big time blocks. Tonight it came in a loss, but the Knicks have to feel great about their defensive all-star.
Carmelo Anthony had a chance to win the game, but his shot would be off. Anthony didn’t have a great game, but he did keep the Knicks in this one. Anthony did fill up the stat sheet as he racked up six assists and and six steals. Defensively Anthony was much more active in this game. Despite his poor shooting, he was still able to do things on the defensive end to help the team. It came in a loss, but the Knicks have to like what Anthony did tonight.
This was a tough loss for the Knicks and a great win for the Bulls. These two will likely have close games throughout the season and tonight was just the beginning. The Knicks will play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday looking to get back on track. The Bulls will play the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday looking to build off their win.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
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