Knicks at Bulls
The New York Knicks keep faltering while the Chicago Bulls are revived with point guard Derrick Rose excelling as the teams square off Thursday in Chicago. The contest received national television billing and that doesn’t seem to fit the Knicks, who have lost 12 of 13 games while possessing the second-worst record in the NBA. The Bulls are six games above .500 and routed New York 104-80 on Oct. 29 by dominating the interior.
Forwards Taj Gibson (22 points) and Pau Gasol (21 points, 11 rebounds) had big games against the Knicks during the season-opening game and both players are having solid seasons. Gibson has three double-doubles over the past four games and had 15 points and a season-high 17 rebounds in Monday’s 93-86 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, while Gasol has recorded nine double-doubles over the past 10 games. New York was routed 107-87 by the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday as the Knicks already trailed by 19 midway through the opening quarter.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE KNICKS (5-22): Carmelo Anthony isn’t pleased with the club’s fortunes, and his one-man band attempt isn’t faring well, either. “It don’t sit well. If I sat here and said everything sits well with me then you should question me,” Anthony told reporters. “But it don’t sit well with me. … I don’t like this feeling.” Anthony scored 26 points against Dallas and is averaging 30 over the last two games while the squad plays without guards J.R. Smith (foot) and Iman Shumpert (shoulder).
ABOUT THE BULLS (15-9): Rose is averaging just 14 points over the last two games and was 6-of-21 shooting and missed all seven 3-point attempts against the Hawks. The subpar outings follow a two-game stretch in which he averaged 27 points and played like his pre-injury self, but Rose wasn’t overly concerned. “Just missing step-in 3s, shots I normally hit,” Rose told reporters. “They were flat. Didn’t have any lift to them. I guarantee next game that won’t happen. I’ve got to take them.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. New York has last six straight visits to Chicago.
2. Bulls C Joakim Noah (ankle) is questionable after missing the previous four games.
3. Knicks SG Tim Hardaway Jr. is 9-of-32 from the field – including 1-of-16 from 3-point range – over the past two games.