Noah Leads Bulls To Easy 109-90 Win Against Knicks
CHICAGO (AP) — Joakim Noah had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists for his fifth career triple-double, leading the streaking Chicago Bulls to a 109-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday.
Chicago had seven players score in double figures in its ninth win in the last 10 games. The Bulls also reached 100 points for the fourth consecutive game for the first time since Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2010.
D.J. Augustin had 21 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as Chicago (33-26) improved to 21-8 since Jan. 1 and a season-high seven games above .500 overall. Jimmy Butler scored 19 points and Carlos Boozer had 14.
While the Bulls are galloping through the weak Eastern Conference, the Knicks are floundering.
Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and Tyson Chandler had 22 rebounds, but New York dropped its sixth consecutive game. The Knicks (21-39) are just 6-16 since Jan. 14.
Swingman Iman Shumpert had three points on 1-for-6 shooting in his return to the lineup. He missed five games after he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during New York's 98-91 victory over New Orleans on Feb. 19.
Noah rolled his right ankle at the beginning of the second half and left briefly before coming back in at the start of the fourth quarter. He heard more chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" when he went 1 for 2 at the line to make it 89-70 with 9:26 to go.
There were more loud cheers when Jimmer Fredette checked in with 3:08 left in his Bulls debut. He drilled a long jumper on his first shot, making it 107-83 with 2:16 remaining.
The Bulls had Fredette in uniform after the sharp-shooting guard signed a contract that covers the rest of the season.
Fredette, the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft, was bought out by the Sacramento Kings on Thursday and cleared waivers on Saturday. He is averaging just 5.9 points and 11.3 minutes in his third season, but is shooting 49 percent from 3-point range.
"I see how this team plays and they play hard every single night and they play for each other," Fredette said before the game. "They play the right way. That's something I was looking for, to come into a team I could fit in and play the way I wanted to and play hard every single night and be part of a team."
Led by Noah, the Bulls jumped all over the Knicks right at the start. The All-Star center capped Chicago's opening 16-1 run with a driving layup and rebound tip-in.
It just kept getting worse for New York, which shot 32 percent from the field in the first quarter. Butler scored 10 points and also found Taj Gibson for a big dunk as Chicago jumped to a 37-16 lead, setting a season high for points for the opening period.
The lead grew to 25 early in the second before Anthony and Stoudemire started to heat up. Anthony made a nice pass to Stoudemire for a reverse layup that got New York within nine with 3:33 to go.
Anthony drove the baseline for a smooth jam, but Noah found Butler for a jumper that lifted Chicago to a 59-48 halftime lead. Noah had 11 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds at the break.
NOTES: Chicago set a franchise record by committing only three turnovers. ... The Bulls and Knicks have one more scheduled meeting, on April 13 in New York.
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