If the Bulls gain revenge against the Knicks, it will be without Otto Porter Jr. The starting small forward didn't practice Monday and will miss his second straight game Tuesday with his sprained left foot.
The Bulls held Lauri Markkanen out of the contact portions of Monday's practice with a sore oblique muscle, but coach Jim Boylen said that Markkanen will play vs. the Knicks. For the second straight game, Chandler Hutchison will start for Porter.
"He’s got positional size. He loves to rebound," Boylen said of Hutchison. "In our system, if you rebound you can bring it. He had that one turnover when he rebounded and took two dribbles and tried to outlet it. That’s one I’d like to see him keep. Bring it up, make a decision and everyone run with him.
"He’s still working his way back. He missed a lot of games last year and he has missed games this year. I’m very happy with his effort and his energy. Athleticism and positional size are what we need and he brings those things."
The Bulls lost to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 28. After taking a 98-90 lead on a Markkanen 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 33 seconds to play, the Bulls didn't score again. The Knicks closed the game with a 15-0 run highlighted by two 3-pointers from Bobby Portis, who scored 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting and celebrated often against his former team.
"No words need to be said. We're not letting that happen," Wendell Carter Jr. said. "Bobby is going to want to put on a show. I'm not going to have it. I hope he's watching this. I ain't having it."
Carter then smiled and said he and Portis "are cool." But it's clear the loss still stings the Bulls, who are off to a disappointing 3-7 start.
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Boylen continued to focus on the positives. The Bulls have blown three double-digit leads this season, including late leads, and struggled in the second halves of multiple games.
"Our defense is 15th in the league. We’re ninth in defense the last five games. Our shot profile is second in the league. We’re getting the shots we want. We’re No. 1 in the league at getting in the paint. I expect us to break through and shoot the ball better, finish better," Boylen said. "We have an improving basketball team. I have a belief in this group of guys. We’re going to keep working at what we do well. The things we need to clean up is our defensive rebounding, our corner contest and our execution in moments where we’re struggling to score. We can’t stop moving, can’t get stagnant."
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