THAT’S TERRI-BULL!
KNICKS LOSE FOR THIRD TIME TO LOWLY CHICAGO
The Bulls’ unicorn introduced himself to the Garden crowd Wednesday night in a big way.
Rookie forward Lauri Markkanen, who has drawn comparisons to Kristaps Porzingis, put on a show in the Bulls’ 122-119 double-overtime victory over the Knicks, notching 33 points and 10 rebounds.
The parallels to Porzingis were put on full display, as Markkanen, a 7-footer from Finland, buried eight 3-pointers in 46 minutes of action.
“I see where [the comparison] comes from obviously,” Markkanen said. “When you’re from Europe, you’re tall, you can shoot the ball, you’re going to get compared to KP and Dirk [Nowitzki] and stuff like that. It’s an honor for me to get compared to them, but I don’t think about it.”
Markkanen was one of the players former Knicks president Phil Jackson expressed interest in when reportedly shopping Porzingis ahead of the 2017 draft. Jackson met with the Arizona product, who eventually was taken with the seventh pick and traded to Chicago from Minnesota in the Jimmy Butler deal.
Porzingis had high praise for the 20-year-old Markkanen.
“He had an amazing game,” Porzingis said. “The way he can shoot the ball from outside with his size … there are not a lot of people who can do that.”
Only unicorns. The thrilling matchup between the two unique talents featured a number of highlights, including a pair of poster dunks, one from each.
With less than 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and the score tied at 105105, Markkanen drove hard to the basket and was emphatically rejected by Porzingis — a play that saved the game, at least for the moment. Porzingis finished with 24 points, six rebounds and four blocks in 44 minutes.
But Markkanen had the final laugh, hitting a big 3 in the first overtime and some clutch free throws in double OT to help his team secure its third win over the Knicks this season.
“It was awesome,” Markkanen said when asked about playing at the Garden for the first time. “Their fans are great. Can’t wait to come back.”