Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah had a pleasant homecoming on Friday night, helping the Knicks to a 117-104 win over the Chicago Bulls. Rose played the kind of basketball the Bulls had hoped he might play while still in Chicago and a fired-up Noah helped spirit the Knicks to a big road victory.
Next: Knicks at Bulls: Instant Analysis and Highlights
In our Twitter poll tonight, a majority of fans were looking forward to the Rose matchup against Jimmy Butler. Both players did their jobs well, but it was Rose and New York that came out ahead when it was all said and done.
Rose and Noah back tonight! What are you most excited about:
— Pippen Ain't Easy (@BullsBeatBlog) November 4, 2016
The loss moves the Bulls to 3-2, having lost two in a row after starting out hot, winning their first three games of the season. The loss to Boston was a road affair, but the Celtics were without Al Horford and lost Jae Crowder during the game. New York, however, was at full strength and showed it, getting good contributions from Courtney Lee, Kristaps Porzingis, Carmelo Anthony, and Rose-Noah.
The loss had some highlights and some lowlights, including the bittersweet experience of Rose almost going for a triple-double in the United Center, but for the wrong team. Rose received a few boos that died out early in the contest, but by the end of the game, the crowd rewarded their former heroes with a standing ovation as it was all smiles from the Knicks duo.