Walker, Knicks hang on, deal Bulls first loss 104-103
CHICAGO - Kemba Walker scored 21 points, RJ Barrett added 20 and the New York Knicks hung on to hand the Chicago Bulls their first loss of the season 104-103 on Thursday night.
Julius Randle had 13 points and 16 rebounds. Derrick Rose came off New York’s bench to score 12 points against his former team as the Knicks won their second straight and improved to 4-1.
Chicago star Zack LaVine scored 25 points, despite playing with a torn ligament in his left thumb. The Bulls went on a 12-0 run in the final minutes to nearly tie the score in a game the Knicks seemingly had wrapped up.
LaVine’s dunk with 9.5 seconds left trimmed New York’s lead to one point after the Knicks held a 104-91 advantage with 2:59 left. LaVine’s thumb was taped up after he was injured Monday in Toronto.
Randle missed a pair of free throws with 4.7 seconds left to give Chicago the final possession, but DeMar DeRozan missed a 15-foot, pull-up shot as time ran out.
Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and DeRozan added 20 points for Chicago, which fell to 4-1 The Bulls’ 4-0 start was their best since 1996-97.
New York shot 45.9 % and just was a touch quicker and sharper from the floor for most of the game than Chicago, which shot 42.9%. New York pulled ahead by as many as 13 points in the third in a game that went from run-and-gun to deliberate and scrappy.
Immanuel Quickley made a long jumper with 1.3 second left in the first quarter to give New York a 27-25 lead.
The Knicks managed to stay ahead the rest of the way, although the Bulls made charges. When Chicago narrowed the lead — to as little as one point early in the third quarter — New York responded with scoring spurts.
The Knicks went on a 14-0 run early in the game to take a 16-6 lead. The Bulls responded with a 15-3 spurt and went ahead 21-19 on Alex Carusos’ 3-pointer from the right baseline.
The Knicks had the edge in the second quarter, never lost the lead and were ahead 55-51 at the half. New York outshot Chicago, 53.5% to 51.3% from the floor in a mostly up-tempo opening 24 minutes.
The Bulls narrowed New York’s advantage to two points twice in the second quarter, but never caught up. LaVine led all scorers with 17 points in the half.
Patrick Williams narrowed the Knicks’ lead to 57-56 with a pair of free throws early in the third quarter. New York responded with a 10-0 run.
AMBASSAOR NOAH
The Bulls celebrated the career of former center Joakim Noah and named him a team ambassador on Thursday. The 36-year-old Noah, who retired after five games with the Clippers in 2019-20, got a standing ovation from the crowd during a video tribute in the second quarter.
Noah was Chicago’s first-round draft pick (ninth overall) in 2007 and played nine of 13 seasons with Chicago, where he was a two-time All-Star and three-time All-Defensive team selection.
Noah ranks first in Bulls team history in offensive rebounds (1,910), third in blocked shots (803) and fourth in total rebounds (5,387).
Noah said he misses the NBA, but "feels a lot less anxiety" and sleeps better.
And he said he’s not interested in coaching.
"To be a coach, you have to be a little bit sick," Noah said, "When you’re not feeling it, you have to motivate a group of men to get a job done. That’s a tough job."
Noah called out Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached him with the Bulls for five seasons. "He’s sick for sure, but I love him," Noah said.
TIP-INS
Knicks: C Nerlens Noel, who hasn’t played this season because of knee and hamstring injuries, remained out.
Bulls: Coach Billy Donovan acknowledged before the game that LaVine would have to deal with discomfort from his thumb, but the team’s medical staff didn’t recommend that the All-Star guard sit out. ... Williams left the game with a wrist injury.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At New Orleans on Saturday Night.
Bulls: Host Utah on Saturday night.