Bulls Trample Knicks on Derrick Rose Night

The Chicago Bulls continued to be a thorn in the New York Knicks’ side on Derrick Rose Night.

As the city of Chicago recognized Rose’s accomplished basketball career that changed the course of the Windy City’s professional and amateur hoops history, the Bulls defeated the Knicks for the second time this season with a 139-126 decision at United Center. Combined with Friday’s defeat in Oklahoma City, the Knicks (24-12) have lost consecutive games for the first time since early November.

Paced by a dozen three-pointers sunk in the second half, Chicago (16-19) put up the best scoring output for a Knicks opponent this season, most it earned through a 41-17 shellacking in the third that saw them go 7-of-9 from deep. The Knicks, in contrast, were fruitless on seven such tries, allowing the Bulls to render a nine-point halftime lead long forgotten.

Zach LaVine and Coby White led the way with 33 points each for the Bulls, with the latter going 9-of-11 with an extra point on the line. Wasted on the visitors’ side were a combined 77 points from Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns had half of the Knicks’ 54 points in the second half and also pulled in 16 boards total.

Relief is on the way for the Knicks, who tip off a lengthy homestand on Monday night against the Orlando Magic (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG). All but two of the Knicks’ next 14 games are at Madison Square Garden and the lone road trips work through Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

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