Knicks at Bulls
THE STORY: The Knicks won’t catch a break from the grueling
66-game schedule, taking a five-game losing streak into the Windy City
on Monday to face the Chicago Bulls. New York visits one of the toughest
home courts in the NBA, with the Bulls posting a 16-3 mark inside the
United Center. Chicago rebounded from only its third loss at home with a
convincing victory over Utah and defeated the Knicks in their most
recent encounter – a 105-102 win in New York on Feb. 2.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, MSG (Knicks), CS Chicago (Bulls), ESPN3.com
ABOUT THE KNICKS (18-23): Is the honeymoon over for Jeremy Lin? New
York’s brightest star is beginning to fade, and may soon find himself
coming off the bench. Lin, who jumped into the starting lineup during
his magical February run, has been the target of every team’s defense
since breaking out. That attention, along with the return of Carmelo
Anthony, has cooled the NBA’s hottest player. Lin is averaging 16.4
points during the Knicks’ slide and what’s worse, he has turned the ball
20 times in that stretch – 11 times in the past two games.
ABOUT THE BULLS (34-9):
Chicago managed to overcome the loss of three starters against the Jazz
on Saturday. Forwards Joakim Noah and Luol Deng along with shooting
guard Richard Hamilton all watched from the bench, while Kyle Korver
stepped in with 26 points, including six 3-pointers. Noah is expected
back Monday, but Korver should remain in the first five, with Deng,
Hamilton and backup point guard C.J. Watson all expected to sit. Korver
was cold heading into that performance, shooting 1 for 7 in the loss to
Orlando on Thursday. He scored 16 points, including 3 for 5 from beyond
the arc, against the Knicks in February.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1.
Chicago’s win over Utah extended its streak to 75 regular season games
without losing back-to-back contests. The Bulls haven’t lost two in a
row since Feb. 7, 2011.
2. Center Tyson Chandler returned Sunday
after missing two games with a strained hamstring. Chandler couldn’t fix
the Knicks’ defense troubles, allowing an opponent to top the century
mark for the third straight game.
3. The Bulls have won six of the last 10 meetings with the Knicks and lead the series 106-95.