It's looking bleak for Chicago Bulls
Based on the past two nights, the Chicago Bulls seem to have no interest in making the NBA playoffs.
With a chance to redeem themselves after a home loss to the struggling New York Knicks, the Bulls turned in essentially the same performance Thursday night at Madison Square Garden and lost 106-94.
Until running into the Bulls, nothing much was going right for the Knicks. They were in a 6-21 stretch before sweeping this two-game series against the Bulls, and there was talk of how Kristaps Porzingis had hit the dreaded "rookie wall."
Porzingis scored 29 points at the United Center and added 19 on Thursday. With the Bulls choosing not to give much defensive effort, New York started fast and were never threatened in the second half. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 26 points.
"Tonight I've never been so frustrated and mad before," Brooklyn native Taj Gibson said in the locker room, according to espn.com. "We've got to want it. Sometimes I feel we want it; sometimes I don't know if we're kidding ourselves or not."
The Bulls (36-35) remain in ninth place, a game-and-a-half behind Detroit for the final playoff spot in the East with 11 games left in the regular season.
"The big thing is to keep swinging," coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game. "We've got a lot of basketball left to be played. We can't talk out of here and feel sorry for ourselves. We've got to come out together.
"I told them look in the mirror, what can they do to help this team find its way out of this two-game tough stretch we've had and bring it the rest of the season. That's all we can do right now is control what we have in front of us."
Derrick Rose continued to play well offensively and led the Bulls with 30 points, hitting 13 of 23 shots from the field. Jimmy Butler was a little better, scoring 19 points, but no one else did anything noteworthy.
Pau Gasol sat out to give his sore right knee a rest. The move came as no surprise after Gasol was ineffective Wednesday, his second game back after missing four games. He produced 4 points and 5 rebounds in 25 minutes during the loss at the UC. Rookie Cristiano Felicio got his second start of the season at center.
Just like on Wednesday at the UC, the Bulls let New York get off to a fast start and the confidence carried over for four quarters. The Knicks hit 27 of 55 shots from 3-point range in the two games, mostly unguarded.
"It's been different things," Hoiberg said when asked about the defense. "One day, it's been transition. One day, we don't communicate well enough. One day, we get out-toughed and outrebounded. I wish I could tell you it was one thing.
"We were very solid all the way through the New Year on the defensive end of the floor.
"We were top five in the league in defensive efficiency. It's gone the other way, there's no denying that. If we want to have any chance of competing and playing after the regular season, we have to find a way to get stops on the other end."
Hoiberg got his second technical foul of the season in the third quarter. No one would blame him if he called in sick Friday and flew back to watch Iowa State in the NCAA regional semifinal at the United Center.
Rose finally delivered his first dunk of the season. After coming back from three knee surgeries, there wasn't much doubt that Rose could dunk if he wanted to, but he didn't throw one down in a game until the second quarter Thursday.
Rose found an open path to the basket from the left wing and dropped in an uncontested dunk. There was no giant windup, like some of his classic two-handers, but both hands touched the rim as the ball went through.
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