Tom Thibodeau is not used to losing in Chicago. It is therefore no wonder that the former Bulls coach was hostile at the United Center, attacking the referees and his players in a disappointing 110-102 loss to the mediocre Bulls.
The Bulls broke a streak of three games lost when the Thibodeau club dropped to the worst four games of the season below 0.500 in 9-13. The Knicks have lost five of six games.
They were as cold as a snowstorm from the 3-point line and showed no delayed clutch play.
After a turnaround by Julius Randle, Bulls guard Zach LaVine hit the dagger with 3 points with 22 seconds left to put Chicago ahead 6. LaVine, who could soon be in the commercial block, scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth period to repel the Knicks is returning from an 11 point disadvantage.
The Knicks hit 6 of 29 on the 3-point line and failed in the final two minutes. With 3:00 left, debutant guard Immanuel Quickley gave the Knicks their first advantage since the start of the first quarter, when he drained a 30-foot 3-point straight, placing them at 95-94, but there was no more magic. .
Alec Burks (18 points) tied the game at 100-100 with one minute remaining in a 3-point basket. But Bulls guard Coby White responded with a 3-point basket and Chicago did not look back.
Randle finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Quickley had 16 points and seven assists, but there was not enough support elsewhere.
After a streak of 10 games that hit 50 percent, RJ Barrett looked out of breath in Windy City on the second night in a row. He finished with 14 points and missed all three points out of 3, including an open final attempt.
Thibodeau seemed irritated by the contest. After White fed an open Derrick Gafford for an easy dunk, Thibodeau called for a timeout and attacked the team for a disorganized defense.
Thibodeau was making only his third return to Chicago since being fired there in 2015, after an excellent five-year stint as a Bulls coach.
Before the game, Thibodeau, a fan favorite in Windy City, was asked about the Chicago years.
“I think in 2010 it was a young team,” said Thibodeau, the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year. “And we had a lot of space for the cover. So, we added a group of very hungry players – Derrick Rose really took off. Joakim Noah took off. Luol Deng played at the All-Star level. But the union of this team, how hard they played, how they played together, I think it resonated in the city. “
The Bulls gained an 11 point lead in the second quarter, with 2017 lottery pick Lauri Markannen, killing the slow Knicks on his way to 30 points.
Behind Markannen’s 23 points in the first half, the Bulls led 59-55 at halftime, with 54.8 percent hitting.
Markannen, the 2.13 meter Finn, made 5 out of 7 shots from 3 points in the interval to finish 8 out of 11 field shots.
The Randle spurt did not stand out in defense against the European, but scored 18 points against him in the first half, causing a series of fouls. Randle hit 7 out of 7 free throws at halftime.
Markannen was the player with whom former Knicks President Phil Jackson was intrigued during the 2017 draft. Jackson tried to run a Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster and negotiate, but ended up beating Frank Ntilikina in 8th place. Nttilikina, in its fourth season, is now out of the Knicks’ rotation.
Quickley scored eight points in the first half with six assists, although he was unable to get it right at the start after consecutive 25-point matches.
The Knicks fell back by 11 again in the third quarter and Thibodeau was barking at the referees.
A late recovery of the Knicks reduced the deficit to 3 after three quarters. Randle was the facilitator. He pulled a double team in and fired at Alec Burks, who hit the corner 3.
The Knicks’ defense intensified and forced a turn that took Randle to Nerlens Noel in a quick dunk, bringing the Knicks to 84-81 after three quarters.