NBA
Bulls Guard Looking to ‘Talk A Little Trash’ to Knicks Star
The New York Knicks are having to turn the page quickly after their matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers as they look to face off against the Chicago Bulls tonight at Madison Square Garden.
The matchup will have former Minnesota Timberwolves teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine face off against one another with coach Tom Thibodeau looking on from the Knicks bench.
LaVine spoke to reporters about his first time facing Towns while he is playing with the Knicks.
“He gives them a lot of offense. Hopefully I can talk a little trash to him, throw him off his game. Say some old words to him, see if it makes him miss a couple 3s,” LaVine said via Chicago Sports Network reporter KC Johnson.
Towns has been red-hot for the Knicks, scoring 30 points a few times during the month of November. He has also been extremely efficient, making over 50 percent of his shots from beyond the 3-point line and the field to start the season.
While Towns has been strong on the offensive side of the ball, the Knicks haven’t been themselves on defense. While the Knicks were one of the league’s top defenses during the regular season a year ago, the team has not gotten off to a great start, ranking 21st in defensive rating.
If the Knicks defense is going to shine against the Bulls, finding a way to stop LaVine will be important. LaVine has been the Bulls’ leading scorer through the first few weeks of the season, and if the Knicks can limit him, their chances of winning goes up.
If LaVine has a good game, he could spark the Bulls offense and could make the Knicks job hard all night long.
The Knicks and Bulls are set to tip off tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.