NEW YORK — Chicago had two stars come through down the stretch. The Knicks had nobody.
It sounds like an oversimplification of Thursday at Madison Square Garden, but it was also the reality of the final four minutes of the Bulls’ 119-115 victory.
DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine took over while the Knicks’ wilted. The final left New York (11-11) back at .500 for the first time since the season began.
Julius Randle, who finished with 30 points and 12 boards, has been complaining about not getting foul calls but he missed two foul shots in the final two minutes and was stripped by Alex Caruso. The turnover led to LaVine’s points on the other end and permanently shifted the momentum toward Chicago (15-8).
LaVine and Nikola Vucevic each had 27 points. DeRozan led the way with 34. The Knicks fell to 5-7 at home.
Two nights earlier, following a loss to Brooklyn, the Knicks were highly critical of the officiating, with Randle stating the refs were biased against the power forward because he’s stronger than the defenders and not affected by contact. He was vindicated a bit by the league’s 2-minute report the following day, which determined the referees flubbed two late calls that would’ve benefitted the Knicks.
But Knicks vs. the officials only continued at MSG on Thursday night. With New York already down RJ Barrett (illness) and Nerlens Noel (sore knee), Taj Gibson — playing his first game in two weeks — was ejected after just three minutes for arguing with the referee over his offensive foul.
The veteran stormed off the court.
The rest of the first half was a disaster for the Knicks, who allowed 69 points in those 24 minutes and trailed by as many as 21. The half also ended with Randle and Evan Fournier arguing over a play as they retreated to the locker room.
But something clicked after the break. Led by Fournier’s inspired defense, the Knicks needed just seven minutes to cut the deficit to 1. They started the fourth quarter trailing by 6.
Despite the injuries and ejection, Kemba Walker logged his second healthy DNP since being removed from the rotation. Immanuel Quickley replaced Barrett and started for the first time this season, struggling while missing 11 of his 17 shots. He also air-balled a trey with 15 seconds left, icing New York’s defeat.
Alec Burks played 43 minutes and scored 16 points.
