New York Knicks: Who Stepped Up Against The Chicago Bulls?

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Jan 12, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) drives to the basket past Chicago Bulls guard Michael Carter-Williams (7) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

In the face of adversity, the New York Knicks responded with a 104-89 win over the Chicago Bulls. Who stepped up for the victorious Knicks?

The oldest rule in the book of contending for a postseason appearance is that a team must win the games they’re expected to win. On Thursday, Jan. 12, the New York Knicks entered a game that, even in their current state, they were expected to win.

Behind the efforts of both the stars and a number of unsung heroes, the Knicks defeated the rival Chicago Bulls by a score of 104-89.

Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined by a sore achilles and Bulls superstar Jimmy Butler was out with an illness. Chicago was also playing without Nikola Mirotic and Denzel Valentine, which put it at a significant disadvantage.

Following a stretch of nine losses in 10 games, the Knicks finally won a game they were expected to win and built towards stabilization.

New York’s win over Chicago marked the first time this season that it’s won the second game of a back-to-back. More importantly, it helped the Knicks improve to 18-22 and pull to within 2.0 games of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The question is: who stepped up for the New York Knicks during what ranks amongst the best all-around performances of the season?

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