Knicks at Bulls
Derrick Rose looks to shake off a subpar return as he plays at home for the first time in 17-plus months when the Chicago Bulls tangle with the New York Knicks on Thursday night. Rose was just 4-of-15 shooting for 12 points and had more turnovers (five) than assists (four) in his return from major knee surgery in Chicago’s loss to the Miami Heat. “I don’t think I forced anything,” Rose said after Tuesday’s contest. “I just couldn’t knock down any shots. I don’t think it was rust.”
New York opened its season with a victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday in a game in which the Knicks let a 25-point second-half lead slip away before fighting off the Bucks. Center Tyson Chandler elected to take the view that the close call was of benefit to his team. “We want to put teams away, especially (when) you’re going into a back-to-back so you have an opportunity to rest,” Chandler said. “But like I say, at the end of the day, learning experience, and I’d rather learn with a win than a loss.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE KNICKS (1-0): The status of point guard Raymond Felton is a concern after he tweaked a hamstring in the opener. New York coach Mike Woodson said Felton’s availability would be decided shortly before game time even though Felton was insisting he would be in the lineup. “Hopefully it goes away,” Felton said after scoring 18 points against the Bucks. “It’s one of those things where it can last two to three days but it can last up to six weeks.” Forward Carmelo Anthony had 19 points and 10 rebounds against Milwaukee.
ABOUT THE BULLS (0-1): Chicago was overly hyped for the challenge of facing defending champion Miami, but the way the Bulls fell behind early and were not in the game made the defeat even more disappointing. “It’s not the end of the world,” Rose said. “This will be easily forgotten. We have the whole season to make a statement. For us, it’s building every game.” The one Chicago standout was forward Carlos Boozer, who repeatedly had his way inside with 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting in addition to grabbing seven rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Chicago went 4-0 against the Knicks last season and has won the last five meetings.
2. Knicks SG J.R. Smith is serving a five-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy.
3. Bulls C Joakim Noah (groin) was limited to 20 minutes in the opener but did grab 11 rebounds.