Tom Thibodeau is not used to losing in Chicago. No wonder, then, that the former Bulls coach was hostile at United Center, lashing out at referees and his players in a disheartening 110-102 loss against the mediocre Bulls.
The Bulls broke a three-game loss run when Thibodeau’s club dropped to their worst four games of the season under .500 at 9-13. The Knicks have lost five of the six games.
They were as cold as a blizzard from the 3 point line and were not late with scoring games on the clutch.
After a turnover from Julius Randle, Bulls guard Zach LaVine hit the dagger 3 pointer with 22 seconds to go to put Chicago at 6. LaVine, who could be on the trade bloc soon, scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter on the Knicks comeback after trailing 11 points.
The Knicks shot 6 of 29 from the three-point line and failed in the last two minutes. With 3:00 remaining, rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley gave the Knicks their first lead since early in the first quarter when he deflated a 30-foot 3-pointer to get them up 95-94, but there was no more magic.
Alec Burks (18 points) tied the game to 100-100 with another minute on a 3-pointer. But Bulls point guard Coby White replied with a 3-pointer and Chicago didn’t look back.
Randle finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Quickley added 16 points and seven assists, but there was not enough support elsewhere.
After a 10-game streak in which he shot 50 percent, RJ Barrett looked back-to-back at the Windy City on the second night. He finished with 14 points and missed all three three-pointers, including a wide open attempt too late.
Thibodeau looked annoyed by the game. After White brought in an open Derrick Gafford for an easy dunk, Thibodeau called a timeout and lashed out at the team for an unorganized defense.
Thibodeau made only his third return to Chicago since he was fired there in 2015 after an excellent five-year career as a Bulls coach.
Ahead of the game, Thibodeau, a fan favorite in the Windy City, was asked about the Chicago years.
“I think it came in 2010, it was a young team,” said Thibodeau, the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year. “And we had a lot of cap space. So we added a really hungry bunch of players – Derrick Rose really took off. Joakim Noah left. Luol Deng played at the All-Star level. But the togetherness of that team, how hard they played, how they played together, I think it just resonated with the city. “
The Bulls gained an 11-point lead in the second quarter when 2017 lottery pick Lauri Markannen killed the slow Knicks on the way to 30 points.
Behind Markannen’s 23 points in the first half, the Bulls led 59-55 at half time, shooting 54.8 percent.
Markannen, the 7-footer from Finland, made 5 of 7 three-point shots in the half to finish 8 of 11 from the field.
Rising Randle did not stand out in defense against the European, but pumped 18 points against him in the first half and made a series of errors. Randle made 7 of the 7 free throws in the half.
Markannen was the player that former Knicks president Phil Jackson was intrigued with during the 2017 draft. Jackson tried to ride and trade in a Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster, but finished with Frank Ntilikina at number 8. Nttilikina, in his fourth season, is now out of the Knicks rotation.
Quickley delivered eight points in the first half with six assists, although he did not get it right in the beginning after consecutive games of 25 points.
The Knicks were again 11 behind in the third quarter and Thibodeau yelled at the referees.
A late Knicks rally narrowed the deficit after three quarters to 3. Randle was the facilitator. He pulled in a double team and shot pass to Alec Burks, who hit 3 in a corner kick.
The Knicks defense stepped up, forcing a turnover that led to Randle’s feed to Nerlens Noel for a quick dunk, bringing the Knicks in 84-81 after three quarters.