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Chuck Checks In: Bulls Look To Open December With Big Road Win

GAME NIGHT FROM THE GARDEN IN NEW YORK:

Bulls ( 14-8, 7-4 on the road) at New York: ( 11-10, 5-6 at home) 6:30 CT

RADIO: 670 The Score: Chuck Swirsky and Bill Wennington: 6:15 CT pregame
TV: NBCSCH- Adam Amin and Stacey King, 6:30 p.m. CT

LEADING SCORERS: Bulls- DeRozan (25.9 ppg), NY- Randle (19 ppg)
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Vucevic: 11 per. NY: Randle- (10)
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls- Ball (4.8), NY- Randle (5)

SERIES: 1-1

CCI PREVIEW: The month of December will bring some daunting matchups and it starts tonight as the Bulls battle the Knicks who are still trying to find themselves with lofty expectations to live up to. Frustration set in during and after the Knicks 112-110 Tuesday loss at Brooklyn as Julius Randle and Head Coach Tom Thibodeau were outspoken on the lack of calls going New York's way. In other words, look for Randle to be a focal point tonight and let's see how many times he gets to the line where he's averaging five per game. The Bulls will need a total team effort as Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel are two of the better rim protectors in the NBA. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are combining for 70 points on average against New York and all three will need to have huge games tonight.

The Bulls held the Knicks to 103 points in their last meeting. The Knicks are 5-6 at home and will look to make a statement tonight. Playing at MSG is special for opposing players and the energy in the building will be felt from the opening tip.

Coby White has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols and is out until further notice. The only constant in the NBA is change. It's fluid by the day.

CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES

Milwaukee 127, Charlotte 125: Giannis Antetokounmpo went off with a 40-12-9 performance including the game winning drive to the hoop with two seconds left. LaMelo Ball was fabulous in a losing cause going for 36–5-9 although he committed seven of the Hornets 16 turnovers.

Boston 88, Philadelphia 87: Jayson Tatum scored 26 points and grabbed a career high 16 rebounds. The 76ers are back at .500 at 11-11.

Washington 115, Minnesota 107: The Wizards recorded 68 points in the paint.

Atlanta 114, Indiana 111: Trae Young with a robust 33-8-10 game. Indiana's Domantas Sabonis registered his 17th double-double of the season.

Dallas 139, New Orleans 107: Luka Doncic poured in 18 of his 26 points in the first quarter. The Mavs set a franchise record shooting 68.7% from the field.

Orlando 108, Denver 103: The Magic ended a seven game losing streak. Denver's Bones Hyland and Austin Rivers have entered the NBA's Health and Safety protocols.

Cleveland 111, Miami 85: It was Cleveland's first win in Miami since January , 2010 covering a span of 20 games. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined for nine block shots. Miami's Bam Adebayo suffered torn ligaments in his right thumb and is out indefinitely.

Houston 114, Oklahoma City 110: The Rockets won their fourth straight game, scoring 41 fourth quarter points.

Sacramento 124, Los Angeles Clippers 115: Richaun Holmes with a 16-11 game. The Clippers have hit the .500 mark.

3Damian Lillard will miss at least 10 days with an abdominal injury.

Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls All In. All Bulls. 365. 24-7. Always a pleasure. Go Bulls!