The New York Knicks are hanging tight with the Chicago Bulls through the first 24 minutes of Monday night's game. They look much improved on defense following a disastrous outing against the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday, holding Chicago to 39.6 percent shooting from the floor. The Knicks lead 50-48 at intermission.
The turnaround owes much to Tyson Chandler, who has done a solid job altering Chicago's shots in the lane. Derrick Rose has 13 points but is shooting just 5-for-15 from the floor to get there. The Bulls have done a much better job on the boards, however, out-rebounding the Knicks 28-21.
Jeremy Lin has just eight points on 2-for-6 shooting, but has done a nice job running the offense with five assists. The Knicks look much more in-sync offensively. Chandler's 11 points leads the team on 4-for-5 shooting from the floor. Carmelo Anthony still hasn't found a rhythm, however, needing nine shot attempts to score eight points.
The Bulls initially raced out to a 12-5 lead, but the Knicks came back with a 11-0. The teams traded the lead through the rest of the half, with a pretty mid-range floater by Lin putting New York ahead going into the locker room.
For more Knicks coverage, be sure to check out our blog Posting and Toasting and SB Nation New York. For more on the Bulls stay tuned to Blog a Bull.