FINAL FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
NEW YORK 105 BULLS 98. (Bulls 1-3, 1-2 on the road)
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine 21 points. Knicks: Portis: 28 points
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Carter: 11. Knicks: Barrett: 15.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Satoransky 5. Knicks: Barrett and Randle each with 5.
RECAP: The Bulls squandered an 18 point advantage and dropped to 1-3 as the Knicks scored the final 15 points of the game, capturing their first win of the season. The Bulls led 98-90 with 3:30 left only to see Bobby Portis take over draining three-point field goals, finishing with a game-high 28 points. The Bulls missed their last seven shots of the game. Wendell Carter Jr. was terrific recording his second double-double of the young season with a 20-10-3 block shots game.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: RJ Barrett is the first Knicks rookie to produce at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a game since Bill Cartwright on Dec. 14, 1979. The Knicks outrebounded the Bulls 63-38. Of the 63 NY boards, 25 came on the offensive glass.
Up Next: At Cleveland Wednesday.
24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Milwaukee 129, Cleveland 112: Seven double-figure scorers for the Bucks. The Cavs go to 1-2 and hast the Bulls tomorrow night.
Los Angeles Clippers 111, Charlotte 96: Kawhi Leonard was brilliant posting a 30-7-6-2 steals - 3 blocks game.
Golden State 134, New Orleans 123: The Warriors bag their first win of the season. Steph Curry with 26 points and 11 assists. Draymond Green 16 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Green will have his #23 jersey retired by his alma mater, Michigan State in early December. The injury-riddled Pels are now 0-4.
Detroit 96, Indiana 94: Derrick Rose with a key hoop at crunch time propelled the Pistons to their second win over the Pacers in as many games. Andre Drummond had another monster performance of 18 points and 18 rebounds. The Pacers dropped to 0-3. The Pistons play the Bulls Friday in Chicago. The Pacers host the Bulls late Sunday afternoon.
Philadelphia 105, Atlanta 103: Joel Embiid knocked down two free throws with five seconds left as the Sixers won their third straight. Embiid was a game-time decision with an ankle issue but managed to score 36 points.
Houston 116, Oklahoma City 112: James Harden with 40 points. Russell Westbrook 21-12-9 in his first game against his former team. Harden went 21 of 22 from the foul line. Seriously? Chris Paul, traded by the Rockets to the Thunder for Westbrook had 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Toronto 105, Orlando 95: Kyle Lowry with 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Isaac scored a career-high 24 for the Magic.
San Antonio 113, Portland 110: DeMar DeRozan and Derrick White combined for 48 points. The Spurs go to 3-0. Damian Lillard scored Portland's last 18 points in a 3:50 span. Wowza.
Utah 96, Phoenix 95: Donovan Mitchell's free-throw won it for the Jazz.
Denver 101, Sacramento 94: The Nuggets improved to 3-0. The Kings go to 0-4.
Piston forward Markieff Morris was fined 35 thousand dollars for directing inappropriate and offensive language toward a game official.
NBA Players of the Week: Eastern Conference: Trae Young-Atlanta: 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists in two games. Western Conference: Karl-Anthony Towns: 3 games: 32 points, 13 rebounds. He's averaging 5 three-point field goals per game shooting 57%.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls
Always a pleasure.