1. New York Knicks (Oct. 28)
Final Score: 105-98, Knicks
While the Chicago Bulls two losses to the Warriors were horrible, they still don’t quite match that of the New York Knicks. The Knicks just seems like that annoying monkey that the Bulls couldn’t get off their back. At the point when the Bulls lost to the Knicks in New York City earlier this season, it looked as if this team could realistically stay in playoff contention in the East.
That hope has long since dimmed out.
At least the Bulls did beat the Knicks in their revenge game at the United Center last month. But just one loss to the Knicks is about as bad as it gets. The Bulls need to be beating the worst teams in the East. But they do own losses to the Knicks, Hornets, and Cleveland Cavaliers already this season.
The worst part about this loss to the Knicks was the fact that it ended on a 15-0 run in their favor. The Bulls owned a 98-90 lead within the final five minutes of the game. But the Bulls wound up losing the fourth quarter by a score of 33-18. Considering the Knicks have no real closer, that is a really bad way to end a game at Madison Square Garden.
Something that rubbed even more salt in the wound for the Bulls in this loss to the Knicks was the fact that former Chicago forward Bobby Portis went off. He pretty much closed out this game for the Knicks, with a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds. Portis went a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range too.