Chicago Bulls (15-10) 110, New York Knicks 106 (19-7)
Despite my pregame fears, the Bulls were clearly ready to play tonight, jumping out to a 14-2 lead in the game's opening minutes, silencing what has the potential to be a raucous MSG crowd.
In the first half, everything was turning up Milhouse for the Bulls. Outside shots fell with regularity (even Kirk Hinrich was 2-for-2 from beyond the arc) and the defense clamped down on Carmelo Anthony early while Felton bricked shot after shot, continuing his shooting struggles.
But, as they say, "remember remember the 26th of November." I know they don't say that, but they should. Large leads will always feel like fleeting, ephemeral things for this team after that defeat, but the Bulls showed no signs of this being the case in the first half. The Bulls went into the locker room up 54-39, taking advantage of a Knicks defense that has steadily gotten worse since the first couple of weeks of the season while also harassing Carmelo with a combo of Deng and Butler.
Once again, a hat tip has to go to Jimmy Butler, who played some solid D on Carmelo Anthony once again. I'm not sure why or how, but Butler seems to have Melo figured out.
The Knicks weren't really getting much offense in the half court, unless isolation dribbling counts as "offense," which I suppose it does. Regardless, the Bulls kept the potent Knicks offense in check, just like the did during the first matchup in Chicago.
Halftime Stats
-Bulls PPP: 1.14
- Deng: 6-12, 14 pts, 8 rebounds
- Noah: 4-9, 11 pts, 6 rebounds
- Hinrich: 3-3, 8 pts, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
-Knicks PPP: 0.82
- Anthony: 6-15, 13 pts
- Smith: 5-12, 13 pts, 7 rebounds
- Felton: 3-9, 7 pts, 3 turnovers, 0 assists
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