Knicks Rally Past Bulls, 117-104, In Rose, Noah Homecoming
CHICAGO (AP) -- Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points and Carmelo Anthony added 25 to lead the New York Knicks to a 117-104 victory over the Bulls on Friday night in the triumphant return of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to Chicago.
Rose, the Bulls' first-round draft pick in 2008, finished with 15 points and 11 assists, while Noah, a 2007 first-rounder, had 16 points and nine rebounds. They teamed up to play a familiar two-man game late as New York held off a Chicago rally.
Both Rose and Noah received loud ovations from the United Center crowd during pregame introductions, although there were some boos mixed in for Rose. The Chicago native also was booed every time he touched the ball in the first couple of minutes.
The Bulls played a video tribute to Rose and Noah during the first timeout.
Dwyane Wade led Chicago (3-2) with 35 points on 12-for-20 shooting and Jimmy Butler added 26 points.
New York, perhaps inspired by the homecoming, sprinted to a 22-6 lead in the first quarter and had a 32-23 edge entering the second.
Chicago rallied for a 57-56 halftime lead behind Wade's 19 points, but the Knicks regrouped for an 84-81 lead after the third. New York then broke things open by scoring 10 straight to open the fourth for a 94-81 lead with 9 minutes to play.
The Knicks led by as much as 98-83 before the Bulls rallied within 108-102 with just under 2 minutes to go. But Rose ended any hopes of a comeback with a three-point play on the next possession.
TIP-INS
Knicks: F Lance Thomas was inactive because of a sprained left ankle. He is listed as day-to-day. . Noah played just 29 games last season before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. "Right now, I'm just happy to be on the court," he said.
Bulls: Doug McDermott, who missed Wednesday's game at Boston with a concussion, was cleared by the NBA's concussion protocol earlier Friday. . Wade had five 3-pointers to give him 10 in five games this season. He had a total of seven last season.
REGRETS
On the day the Cubs celebrated their World Series title, Rose said the biggest disappointment during his time in Chicago was not leading the Bulls to a championship.
"Only thing I can do about that is say I gave it my all," he said. "I really tried. I had multiple times, many times, where I envisioned winning a championship here. It never happened, so I've got to take (those) visions and take them to New York."
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Utah on Sunday. Coach Jeff Hornacek spent seven seasons with the Jazz as a player.
Bulls: At Indiana on Saturday seven days after shooting 52.3 percent (42.9 on 3-pointers) in a blowout win against the Pacers in Chicago.
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