NEW YORK _ Tanks for nothing.
The Knicks are picking the worst possible time to go on a win streak. With valuable Ping-Pong balls hanging in the balance, the Knicks won for the second straight game, beating the Bulls, 110-92, Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
This game had huge implications for NBA draft lottery position, and the Bulls treated as such.
Chicago made the trip to New York without starters Zach LaVine (knee tendinitis), Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) and Kris Dunn (sprained toe). Robin Lopez was in the building, but he was a healthy scratch.
The Knicks (26-45) weren't fooling around. They went for the victory and earned their first two-game win streak since Jan. 26-30. The Knicks had lost 16 of their previous 17 games before this mini-streak.
The Bulls (24-46) opened up a 1 {-game lead on the Knicks for the eighth-worst record in the NBA. Had the Knicks won, they would have been alone, one-half game up on the Bulls. There's still 11 games left, so the Knicks could still move down. But they're not trying to lose.
One thing was obvious from this game: Both teams need a high draft pick who can make an impact.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a game-high 22 points, and didn't play in the fourth quarter. Michael Beasley added 17 and Enes Kanter had a double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) in only 18 minutes.
Cristiano Felicio had 17 points, while Bobby Portis and Antonio Blakeney each scored 16.
The Knicks have made it clear with their words and actions lately that they are not tanking. But winning games at the end of the season has cost the Knicks the last few years.
In 2014-15, they lost a franchise-record 65 games. But the Knicks won two of their last three and finished one game behind Minnesota for worst record in the league. Minnesota won the lottery and the Knicks dropped to fourth. They were lucky to get Kristaps Porzingis, but they could have had Karl-Anthony Towns.
Last year, the Knicks won their season finale and finished in a tie with Minnesota for the sixth-worst record. The Timberwolves won a coin-flip tiebreaker. The Knicks ended up picking eighth and took Frank Ntilikina.
The irony is earlier in the season, when the Knicks were playing for something, their games against the Bulls had a different kind of significance.
The Knicks acquired Chicago's second-round pick from the Thunder in the Carmelo Anthony trade. They viewed it as basically getting a second first-round pick, especially if the Bulls were as bad as everyone projected.
The Knicks had chances to help themselves in the standings and on draft night when they met Chicago in December and January. Yet they lost their first three meetings with Chicago _ twice when they had a .500 record or better.
At the time, those games were considered ones that could come back to haunt the Knicks if they narrowly missed out on the playoffs. Now, Monday's game could come back to bite them for different reasons.
It was an ugly start for both teams. They combined for 33 missed shots, 10 turnovers and 37 points in the first quarter. Neither team scored 20 points, as they both assaulted the backboards and rims.
The Bulls continued to struggle in the second quarter. They shot 8-for-27, matching what the Knicks did in the opening quarter. But the Knicks ended the second quarter scoring 11 unanswered points and led 48-37 at halftime.
Hardaway caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 17 points on just eight shots to help the Knicks increase their lead to 20 with 2:35 left in the third. The Bulls never got it under 10 after that.
