Kris Dunn is a key piece of the Chicago Bulls’ rebuilding effort. He wants to be a key to the team’s success. Dunn made two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to give the Bulls a 104-102 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday night. Coach Fred Hoiberg put the ball in Dunn’s hands during the final possession and the second-year point guard was fouled by Courtney Lee while driving to the basket.
“I want to be a leader for my team and I want to make the big plays,” Dunn said. “I know we have multiple guys who can make plays, but I definitely want to be one of them.”
Following a timeout, the Knicks _ who scored 10 straight points to tie it at 102 _ had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Kristaps Porzingis missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Nikola Mirotic, in just his second game of the season, had 19 points to help Chicago win its second straight. Dunn finished with 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and Luari Markkanen and David Nwaba had 15 points apiece. Nwaba had 11 points in the fourth quarter.
“I’m proud of the guys for finding a way to hang on there,” Hoiberg said.
Porzingis had 23 points for New York. The Knicks are 1-8 on the road.
“I feel like I let my teammates down, and I’m not talking about the last shot but in general the whole game,” Porzingis said. “We have to play at a better level and I have to play at a better level from the beginning.”
After snapping a 10-game losing streak Friday night in Charlotte, the Bulls didn’t arrive back in Chicago until about five hours before game time because of weather-related delays. But they jumped out to a 19-6 lead and rallied after New York took a 70-68 lead into the fourth quarter.
“The game was lost way in the beginning,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. “They’re a team that had travel issues. We come out not ready to play, let them get out to a big lead. They showed some fight at the end. We’ve got to come out at the beginning of the game. That’s a mental preparation thing that we talked about.”
