It was a high profile game at the Garden as the New York Knicks took on the Chicago Bulls. The Knicks were looking to avenge their previous loss to the Bulls in Chicago on December 8th. In that game, the Bulls defense was too much for the Knicks as they only scored 85 points. Carmelo Anthony was out with an injury, which attributed to their struggles on offense. This time Carmelo was ready to play, but the results came out the same.
The Bulls’ defense held the Knicks to 2 points for the first 6 minutes of the 1st quarter. They ended up going on a 14-2 run, putting the Knicks in a hole right from the start. It was a very sloppy start for the Knicks as they shot 39% from the field in the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter, the Knicks were held to 16 points as they trailed the Bulls, 54-39. In the second half, things got out of control. The referees were calling a lot of fouls, frustrating the Knicks and Coach Woodson. Carmelo Anthony received two technical fouls and was tossed out of the game. Coach Woodson also got tossed from the game for arguing calls. Things came to a boil as Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah got into a shoving match. Both were tossed receiving double technicals. Even the crowd turned hostile with the refs as they chanted, “These refs suck!” With most of their stars out of the game, the Knicks made one last effort to pull off a comeback. But it wasn’t enough as the Bulls won by 4 points, 110-106.
The Bulls defense dominated even though the score was close. The Knicks were off their game and played sloppy for most of the night. After the game Carmelo Anthony stated, “From the jump they were the more physical team and carried that throughout the whole game. We reacted rather than coming out of the jump, being the more aggressive team. When we tried to be more aggressive, it was too late.” This was the second loss for the Knicks at home this season.
The Knicks will look to bounce back in their final game of the 6-game home stand as they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Game time is set for 5:00pm.
PureSportsNY: Anthony Rivera