Just how great is Derrick Rose? More than eight years since he played his last game for the Bulls, Rose still is carrying and inspiring his former team to classic victories, this time Saturday night in the United Center 139-126 over Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks.
Coby White had a career-best nine three-point field goals in 11 attempts for 33 points and Zach LaVine matched that 33 points. Nikola Vučević added 22 points and 12 rebounds to offset 44 points from Karl-Anthony Towns, including 25 in the fourth quarter when the Knicks reduced 19-point deficit to 119-113 with about six minutes remaining. But the Bulls never blinked with a New York minute 13-2 run, LaVine fouled on a three, Vučević with three inside scores and White with a fuhgeddaboudit three to effectively close out the 24-12 Knicks. The Bulls moved 16-19.
And it was Rose as muse in a game the Knicks controlled before an otherworldly Bulls 41-17 third quarter and 49-19 stretch going into the fourth.
“The atmosphere was cool,” said White, the main man of the Bulls 20-of-37 three-point shooting (the Knicks were a paltry eight of 30). “It was electric in there. We talked about it before the game. If it’s one game to feed off energy, it’s going to be this game. We knew Derrick Rose was going to bring the whole Chicago out. It was fun for us. We kind of fed off it in that third and we kind of got running and got in transition, got steals and deflections, it was good for us.
Leave a Reply