Bulls improve to 5-0 for the third time in franchise history |
Dustin Riese
· · 7 hours ago
CHICAGO - A lot has been made about the Chicago Bulls' (5-0) start to the season as they entered Friday night as one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the East. Already with their best start since 2021, many felt that they were catching these teams at a good time, as there were still some questions about how good this team really is.
A win against the New York Knicks (2-3) would change many of the narratives surrounding this team, as this was the Bulls' first real test of the season. In what was the first game of the in-season tournament, the Bulls tipped off with the Knicks at the United Center for their first of two meetings over the next 72 hours. Behind another impressive balanced scoring attack that saw the Bulls put up 72 first-half points, Chicago nearly blew a massive lead only to come through in the clutch for the 135-125 win. With the win, Chicago improves to 5-0 for just the third time in team history, which alone is hard to believe when you consider some of the great Bulls teams of the past. A significant reason for Chicago's success this season has been its balanced approach on the court, as you never know who is going to come through with a big game. Even without their leading scorer, Coby White, who makes this team so much better when he returns, the Bulls continue to share the basketball as six more players landed in double figures. Leading the way for Chicago was Josh Giddey, who put forth his best performance of the season with 32 points and 10 boards. Giddey also came within one assist of posting a triple-double as he continues to be everything the Bulls could ask for and more. Speaking of double-doubles, Nikola Vucevic has earned the nickname of Mr. Double-Double since joining the Bulls, as he could roll out of bed and post one. While he didn't do that in this one, Vucevic continued to go about his business, scoring 26 points as he played his best basketball in years. Matas Buzelis had another rough night on the court, finishing with 13 points, as it was the Bulls' bench once again coming through for another big night. As expected, Ayo Dosunmu was leading the Bulls' second unit, playing more like a starter than a bench player. With 22 points on 8-10 shooting and nine assists to lead the second unit, Dosunmu is playing at a level that will undoubtedly earn him sixth-man of the year consideration should this continue. The same can be said about Kevin Huerter, who added 12 points to go with Dosunmu's 22 points as the Bulls' relentless offense continues. Jalen Smith added 10 points with Patrick Williams picking up nine to give the Bulls another impressive early-season win. As good as the Knicks have been the past few seasons, they have gotten off to a rough start away from the Garden and have yet to win a game on the road. That is hard to believe when you look at their roster, as the Knicks' starting five combined for more than 100 points in the losing effort. Leading the way for the Knicks was Jalen Brunson, who scored 29 points as he continues to set the tone for this team. Brunson, along with OG Anunoby and his 26 points, gave the Knicks an impressive 1-2 scoring punch at the Guard position as they were a matchup nightmare most of the night for this team. Speaking of matchup nightmares, Karl Anthony-Towns has had his way with Chicago in the past, and Friday was no different, as this is one of those teams that seems to bring out the best in him. While his scoring may have been down with 22 points, Towns added 10 rebounds to post a strong double-double for his team. New York also saw Mikal Bridges come away with 23 points, as those provided nearly 80% of the Knicks' total output in the 10-point Bulls win. With the win, Chicago matches only their third 5-0 start in franchise history while also becoming the lone remaining unbeaten team in the East. These same two teams will face off on Sunday, with the matchup taking place at Madison Square Garden.
