The Chicago Bulls lead the East with a 12-5 record and tied with Steve Nash’s Nets. The Illinois team sealed its second consecutive win and the fourth in the last five games after coming back against the Knicks by a final score of 103 to 109.
DeMar DeRozan led the pack with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, being his sixth game of the course with at least thirty points. His teammate Zach LaVine seconded him with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 basket passes.
Likewise, Coby White starred in his best night since returning to the slopes with 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, and also his first 3-pointers of the course (he finished 3 of 6).
“I’m just enjoying the moment,” Coby White admitted. “I knew that all the work I did would pay off. But I knew it would take some time, “he acknowledged.
The Knicks, with more heart than game, reached the last period with a 74-72 advantage thanks to a Julius Randle with 34 points and 10 rebounds, including 13/19 in shooting from the field. However, the aforementioned Coby White and reserve Derrick Jones Jr. were in charge of turning the game around with two consecutive triples for the Bulls.
“We got some of those 3s because the guys pass the ball and they come to the center of the court and they make the next pass,” explained Billy Donovan. “It was not one of those easy games, but we knew how to solve it in the last quarter,” he concluded.
Other highlights of the Knickerbockers were substitutes Alec Burks, Immanuel Quickley and Derrick Rose with 13, 12 and 10 points respectively. For his part, another night to forget about RJ Barrett with a 2 of 12 shooting from the field to get 9 points and 15 rebounds.
“I liked the way we played for three quarters,” said Tom Thibodeau. “I felt that in the last period we were not at our best. The effort was there, but we have to analyze what has happened, “he added.
(Cover photo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
