It didn’t take Paul Zipser’s first career NBA start, first career 3-pointer and first set of broken ankles courtesy of Carmelo Anthony to make Thursday night at Madison Square Garden different.
Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic were in Chicago, out with the flu. Denzel Valentine returned to the team hotel after throwing up right after he arrived at the arena. The Knicks scratched Kristaps Porzingis late with a sore Achilles.
And the sight of Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose in Knicks’ uniforms is still a bit odd, never mind Rajon Rondo in a reserve role.
The comings and goings ultimately produced a 104-89 victory for the Knicks, and the Bulls’ third straight setback. To say it was badly needed for a team that had lost nine of 10 is like saying Rose created a stir with his unexcused absence for personal reasons on Monday.
Rose played well, finishing with 17 points, six behind team leader Carmelo Anthony. Noah posted a double-double to help the Knicks win the rebounding battle 47-43. Rose and Noah are now 2-0 against the Bulls.
The Bulls have problems of their own that extend beyond illness, though that certainly has affected rotations.
Coach Fred Hoiberg said he started Zipser, a second-round pick, over former lottery pick Doug McDermott for size and defensive versatility. But McDermott struggled for the third straight game offensively, finishing with two points on 0-for-5 shooting.
Hoiberg closed with Zipser over McDermott, who is now 4-for-22 in his last three games.
“This game is a lot about confidence. The big thing is trying to put him in position to get him some shots,” Hoiberg said of McDermott. “He’s too good of a shooter to stay in a slump like this. I’m confident he’ll get out of it and so are his teammates.”
The Bulls, led by Dwyane Wade’s 22 points, shot 40.2 percent overall. The starting five of Michael Carter-Williams, Wade, Zipser, Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez tallied just seven of the meager 20 assists overall.
Hoiberg said Zipser looked him right in the eye and told him he would be ready when Hoiberg surprised him with the starting assignment. And Zipser acquitted himself fairly well, finishing with seven points and five rebounds in 34 minutes.
“I was excited to hear I’m starting in the most famous arena in the world,” Zipser said. “It was so much fun. I had a good start. The second half was not aggressive enough.”
Hoiberg hinted that Rondo, who had been benched for 5 1/2 games before playing Tuesday in Washington and posting eight assists Thursday, would remain in the rotation. That could drop Jerian Grant from the rotation, although Grant played well Thursday with 14 points.
“That’s something that we thought a lot about is getting him in there with that second group,” Hoiberg said of Rondo. “When we get Niko back healthy and obviously with Doug going back to his bench role when we get Jimmy back, get him out there and be the leader of that second unit. I talked to him about the lift and the spark that he gave us with the energy and the pace, the push that he had with that second unit.”
For the second time in eight days, Wade, who had an antagonistically competitive past with Rondo, praised his professionalism.
“A guy who can get a triple double on any given night when he’s on top of his game helps your team for sure,” Wade said. “If (coming off the bench) is the role that he has going forward, I just praise him for being a professional, doing what he needed to do for his teammates.
“I’ve never been around a situation like that with a player like him. And I thought he handled it very well. When he got in the game, it’s like he didn’t miss any time. That’s just being a true professional, being prepared and ready.”
Twitter @kcjhoop
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