If you’re forced to start Paul Zipser, it’s probably going to be a rough night. No offense to the rookie from Germany, whom the Bulls drafted in the 2nd round last year. But until Thursday night, Zipser hadn’t played a single non-garbage time minute this season. Jimmy Butler was back in Chicago, nursing himself back to health. The same bug that took down Jimmy then hit Nikola Mirotic, who flew home after their game in DC on Tuesday. Rookie Denzel Valentine, who had a career-high 19 points in that loss to the Wizards, succumbed to a stomach bug after this morning’s shootaround. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg didn’t have many options.
All things considered, it could have been much worse. Thankfully they were in New York playing an equally uninspiring Knicks team. Dwyane Wade also returned to the lineup after sitting out the second night of their back to back on Tuesday. Wade led his team with 22 points, but the Bulls lost the Knicks 104-89.
The Bulls’ role players stepped up in the absence of Butler, Mirotic and Valentine. Zipser looked decent in his 34 minutes, tallying 7 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. He even induced superstar Carmelo Anthony into a travelling violation in one strong defensive sequence. Second year guard Jerian Grant had one of his better outings with 14 points and 4 assists. Cristiano Felicio (13 points, 5 rebounds) continues to look like a very valuable piece for the Bulls’ young core moving forward.
But it just wasn’t enough without the services of Butler. The Knicks were missing their second year sensation Kristaps Porzingis, but Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony both showed up. Rose followed his 25 point performance last night with another 17 points and 3 assists. He showed flashes of the vintage Rose whom Bulls fans used to love, forcefully driving to the hoop for acrobatic finishes. Anthony paced the Knicks with 23 points, 9 boards and 6 dimes.
Quick Hits
Rajon Rondo had 8 assists in his second game back after being benched for 5 straight contests, but he looked very tentative with his shot (2-9).
Doug McDermott’s recent struggles continued. Perhaps he’s experiencing a resurgence of concussion symptoms? Whatever the reason, Doug has just 13 points on 4-22 shooting over the last three games.
Former Bulls center Joakim Noah is having a tough first season in New York, but he was a factor tonight. His stat line against his former team looked familiar to Bulls fans: 12 points, 15 rebounds and a block.
Rose and Noah were seen trash talking with former teammate Taj Gibson on multiple occasions, and Taj returned the favor. All in good fun, of course. Those three were very close during their Bulls tenure. Earlier today, Gibson defended Rose to the media when asked about Rose’s latest PR hiccup.
Next Up: The Bulls return home to host the New Orleans Pelicans (15-24) on Saturday. This will be the first of two meetings between these teams this season. Anthony Davis (29.1 ppg) trails only Russell Westbrook in scoring across the NBA. He’s also averaging 12.2 rebounds per game, good for 6th in the league. Tipoff is at 4:00 PM CST.
