Mirotic steals the show for Chicago Bulls

Midway through the fourth quarter Friday night at the United Center, Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic decided it was a good time to ring in the new year.

Mirotic channeled his inner Steph Curry and fired a 30-foot jumper. There wasn't even a sense of urgency, with eight seconds still on the shot clock, but the ultra long-range jumper was perfect and helped the Bulls pull away late for a 108-81 victory over the New York Knicks,

The Bulls (19-12) outscored New York 31-8 in the fourth quarter to register their third straight win.

Derrick Rose missed his second straight game because of right-hamstring tendinitis. Before the game, coach Fred Hoiberg said Rose would try to loosen up but called his participation doubtful.

Mirotic had one of his better all-around games of the season, finishing with 17 points, 2 blocks, 2 steals and a career-high 7 assists. But that long shot was an eye-opener.

"Oh, yeah. I was literally, if you look at my face, I was saying, 'Oh, shoot,' " said teammate Jimmy Butler, who led the Bulls with 23 points. "Not even joking. I was like, 'Dang.' He was feeling it. I like that in Niko. I like that."

Mirotic has a maddening habit of playing hit or miss from game to game. He seems to either play like a rising star or disappear completely.

"He's had a couple like this in the last week with this and Dallas, so obviously it's great for your confidence when you see the ball go in," Hoiberg said. "He only took 8 shots and finished with 17 points. That's a pretty efficient night for Niko. I thought he played a very complete game. … Shooting that half-court shot with 10 seconds left on the shot clock, that was great."

Mirotic departed the locker room quickly, which left his locker neighbor Pau Gasol to talk about Mirotic's inconsistent tendencies.

"He's in a tough position. I think he's playing out of position a little bit," Gasol said. "So it's hard for him to get a rhythm. I'm glad tonight he did get going and he hit his first couple shots. That's always a plus for an outside shooter."

At the start of the season, Mirotic started at power forward. Two weeks ago, Hoiberg decided to go with a tall front line with Mirotic at small forward, while Taj Gibson stepped in at power forward.

"He's emotional. He's an emotional person," Gasol said of Mirotic. "He's trying his best to be productive and play well and help the team. He needed a game like this, for sure. I think it's harder for him at the 3 position than it is for him at the 4 where things are more natural for him."

This was another night when the reserves played an important role. The Knicks were within 77-73 heading into the fourth but never got closer. At one point, Hoiberg sent Gibson to the scorer's table but called him back and decided to ride a closing lineup of Mirotic, Butler, Bobby Portis, Doug McDermott and E'Twaun Moore.

Portis (16 points, 10 rebounds) got the best of 7-foot-3 New York rookie Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with 9 points and 9 boards. Moore played for the first time since Dec. 19 because Aaron Brooks got into foul trouble.

The Bulls jumped to an 11-0 lead, then let a 17-point edge slip away.

"It was good to see the young guys out there really make an impact," Hoiberg said. "I thought E'Twaun Moore really calmed us down. I thought he was terrific getting us into our offense. I thought he guarded all game long. It was a great fourth quarter for our team."

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