Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah returned to the United Center as teammates of the New York Knicks.  They shined as the Knicks rallied in the fourth quarter to overtake the Chicago Bulls, 117-104.

Rose and Noah received a warm reception from the Bulls fans, although there were some boo’s for Rose. When Rose touched the ball, the crowd booed but that faded away.

Both were business-like and helped the Knicks defeat the Bulls in an early season match-up. It was the first time Rose and Noah returned to the home court of the Bulls (3-2) since their departure over the summer.  Rose had 15 points and 11 assists Noah added 16 points and 9 boards.  In all, five starters scored in double figures for New York (2-3) led by second year star, Kristaps Porzingas. He had 27 points on 10-15 shooting. KP, as he is now known in the League, hit 4 of 7 three-pointers, a feat for such a big man.

Carmelo Anthony had 25 points on a variety of shots from the floor. Anthony has an uncanny ability to score from practically anywhere on the court and when he gets warmed up, watch out. Courtney Lee, played 41 minutes and had 17 points.

Rose had his best assist game of the young season. He missed most of preseason due to legal battles in Los Angeles.

The Bulls had a 57-56 lead at the half.   Dwyane Wade carried the team in first half scoring, connecting on some nice treys.  He led the team with 35 points and made 5 long-distance shots.   Last season he had 7 three-point shots in 44 attempts. This season, he has 10 trey in five games.  Jimmy Butler scored 26 points.

The Knicks scored 10 straight points to open the fourth quarter and led the Bulls 94-81. It didn’t look good for Chicago and they never caught up.

The Bulls seem to have accentuated the offense to the lapse on the defensive side of the court. Essentially, they have a hard time stopping teams with good talent.  The season just started. But if this is an ongoing pattern, then the Bulls will probably not make the playoffs. You have to stop people. And, in the fourth quarter, the Bulls could not prevent the run of the Knicks.

The Bulls next face the Indiana Pacers.