Bulls Guard Looking to 'Talk A Little Trash' to Knicks Star

The New York Knicks face off against the Chicago Bulls.

Jeremy Brener | 22 Hours Ago

Nov 9, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) passes the ball under the basket behind Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are having to turn the page quickly after their matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers as they look to face off against the Chicago Bulls tonight at Madison Square Garden.

The matchup will have former Minnesota Timberwolves teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine face off against one another with coach Tom Thibodeau looking on from the Knicks bench.

LaVine spoke to reporters about his first time facing Towns while he is playing with the Knicks.

"He gives them a lot of offense. Hopefully I can talk a little trash to him, throw him off his game. Say some old words to him, see if it makes him miss a couple 3s," LaVine said via Chicago Sports Network reporter KC Johnson.

Towns has been red-hot for the Knicks, scoring 30 points a few times during the month of November. He has also been extremely efficient, making over 50 percent of his shots from beyond the 3-point line and the field to start the season.

While Towns has been strong on the offensive side of the ball, the Knicks haven't been themselves on defense. While the Knicks were one of the league's top defenses during the regular season a year ago, the team has not gotten off to a great start, ranking 21st in defensive rating.

If the Knicks defense is going to shine against the Bulls, finding a way to stop LaVine will be important. LaVine has been the Bulls' leading scorer through the first few weeks of the season, and if the Knicks can limit him, their chances of winning goes up.

If LaVine has a good game, he could spark the Bulls offense and could make the Knicks job hard all night long.

The Knicks and Bulls are set to tip off tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published 22 Hours Ago

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.