The Chicago Bulls dropped their third straight game on Wednesday, October 28, losing to the New York Knicks 133-127.
Once again, star rookie Caleb Wilson impressed, putting up 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and two steals. However, Wilson’s efficiency will be something he wants to work on after going 7-of-18 from the field, including 3-of-8 from deep.
Still, for Wilson, this was likely a ‘Welcome to the NBA‘ moment, as he faced off against the reigning NBA Champions. After the game, Wilson spoke glowingly about the talent the Knicks have at their disposal.
“Jalen Brunson cold,” Wilson admitted. “Then KAT is just––he’s huge, he’s huge, he just makes the right decision, can shoot, trail threes, just plays the basketball really well. Honestly, they’re just a good team. OG’s really good too, really physical, hard to go against, hard to score against, they just have a really well-rounded team.”
Wilson continued.
“Even Jordan Clarkson came the bench and finished it. He played really well. We get to play them again next week at their place. We’ll learn from this and hopefully we can go out there and get a win.”
Wilson is only five games into his NBA career. As such, he will have many more of these moments as he continues to face off against the best players in the world.
Bulls’ Norman Powell Continues To Impress
Despite Chicago slumping to its fourth loss this season, and third in a row, Norman Powell was impressive once again. The Bulls’ marquee free-agent addition dropped 30 points on the Knicks, along with grabbing 2 boards and dishing out 2 assists.
Overall, Powell shot 44.4% from the three-point range on 4-of-9 shooting. He was also successful elsewhere on the floor, going 10-of-15 from the field in total. If he continues to play at this level, Chicago will have a strong trade chip to dangle once we get closer to the trade deadline.
In his first five games for the Bulls, Powell is averaging 21.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists, shooting 36.6% from deep.
Tiago Splitter Pleased With Bulls Level of Fight
Chicago may have lost against the Knicks, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t signs of improvement from the young and rebuilding roster.
During his postgame news conference, head coach Tiago Splitter praised his team’s level of competitiveness and fight.
“We were focused for a longer period of time throughout the game, which is good, but the game still has 48 minutes,” Splitter said, via Roundtable. “That last quarter tonight wasn’t good enough. Of course, they have great players… That’s why they won the championship. But I think we competed for the most part. We got better tonight.”
Bulls fans knew this season was going to be a rollercoaster coming into the season. Rebuilding teams need time for internal development to take place, and for the coaching to start paying dividends.
However, playing hard is totally within the team’s control, and against the Knicks, Chicago showed signs that it will be a tough out for any team as we get deeper and deeper into the season.
Bulls Rookie Caleb Wilson Makes Honest Admission After Loss To Knicks