NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Chicago Bulls beat the New York Knicks in a close matchup on Thursday, 119-113.

The Bulls had a 21 point lead in the first half against the Knicks, but New York climbed back into the game in the third quarter, outscoring Chicago 32 to 20.

Bulls small forward Demar DeRozan scored 18 fourth-quarter points, helping the Bulls stave off the comeback hungry Knicks.

Knicks Comeback Falls Short

The Knicks had a slow start to the game, turning over the ball 12 times in the first half. That included 8 turnovers in the first quarter alone.

They were also having trouble shooting from three-point range; they shot 16.7% from three as a team in the first half.

The Knicks limited turnovers and shifted things around with a third-quarter surge, led by Knicks shooting guard Evan Fournier's 3 three-pointers along with the Knicks' bench unit. At one point, the Knicks went on a 25-11 in the third, outscoring the Bulls 32-20 without any free throws.

The momentum was carried towards the end of the game with Knicks' power forward, Julius Randle, attacking the basket, as well as giving the Knicks their first lead since the score was 9-7.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to carry the Knicks to a victory. Randle finished off with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Bulls Close Call

The Bulls started off hot, going up 21 points against the Knicks. That included a hot start from Bulls' center Nikola Vucevic going off for 13 points in the first quarter as well as Bulls Shooting Guard, Zach Lavine, with 11 points.

The Bulls protected the Ball well in the first quarter, finishing with only one turnover.

After the first quarter, Chicago took care of the ball less. It became more evident during the third quarter when their lead was cut to six points at 89-83.

It didn't help that Chicago had many missed wide-open opportunities from players, especially from three-point range.

The Bulls, however, were able to prevail, with DeRozan going off for 18 points in the fourth. Defensively, Bulls shooting guard, Alex Caruso, helped out during the stretch, finishing the game with 4 steals.

Derozan led the game with 34 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Knicks vs Bulls 12.2.2021

Up Next

On December 4, the Bulls will travel across the Brooklyn Bridge to face off against the Brooklyn Nets at 8 pm EST.

The Knicks will take on the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden, on December 4, 1 pm EST.