Preview: Knicks at Bulls
Send a link to a friend
[November 04, 2016]
The city of Chicago is electric
after the Cubs won the World Series on Wednesday, but the baseball
fever won't keep basketball fans from anticipating the return of
Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. The two former Chicago stars will take
the United Center floor for the first time in visitor's uniforms
when the Bulls host the New York Knicks on Friday.
Rose and Noah helped lead Chicago to its best post-Jordan records
but never managed to take the team to the NBA Finals before injuries
and ineffectiveness marred the end of each of their respective
tenures with the team. While the Bulls don't seem to be missing the
two former stars much on the court, the Knicks aren't exactly
surging to new heights with the two in the lineup. New York dropped
three of its first four games, with all three losses coming by
double figures, and is struggling on both ends. The Knicks allowed
at least 32 points in each of the first three quarters at home on
Wednesday before the Houston Rockets took their foot off the gas and
breezed to a 118-99 win.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE KNICKS (1-3): New coach Jeff Hornacek is trying to
institute team president Phil Jackson's triangle offense into the
attack, but the players don't seem to be taking to the system. "We
run the triangle, we practice against it a lot," guard Courtney Lee
told ESPN. "I think we need to practice against pick and rolls,
practice against other looks and whatnot and get comfortable with
that because that's what other teams are running." Rose is averaging
16.3 points but recorded almost as many turnovers (eight) as assists
(nine) in the first four games while Noah was held scoreless in two
of the first four contests.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Nov/04/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_051513.png)
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Nov/04/images/ads/current/ldn_business_directory_small_2016.png)
[to top of second column] |
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Mar/14/images/ads/current/tires250x300.gif)
ABOUT THE BULLS (3-1): The team picked a good time to suffer its
first loss on Wednesday, with much of the print and internet real
estate in the Chicago area dominated by the Cubs winning their first
World Series since 1908. Anyone in the area that did tune into the
Bulls broadcast saw Rose's replacement at point guard - Rajon Rondo
- collect 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the 107-100
setback at Boston. Rondo is having no trouble fitting between wings
Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler while center Robin Lopez, who came over
in the Rose trade from New York, is proving to be a solid fit in
coach Fred Hoiberg's system.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Nov/04/images/ads/current/st_claras_lda_082114.png)
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bulls F Doug McDermott is in the league's concussion protocol and
is questionable for Friday.
2. Knicks F Kristaps Porzingis averaged 18.3 points in the first
three games but slumped to three points on 0-of-4 shooting
Wednesday.
3. New York took three of the four meetings last season behind 24.3
points on 50.6 percent shooting from F Carmelo Anthony in the four
contests.
PREDICTION: Bulls 115, Knicks 100
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |