HoopsVibe

On Saturday, Luol Deng had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bulls to a 106-95 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Kirk Hinrich added 21 points and eight assists, while Andres Nocioni had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, who ended a seven-game road trip with a dismal 1-6 record.

Jamal Crawford had 26 points and Eddy Curry finished with 20 points and six rebounds for the Knicks, who have dropped four of their last five games overall. Steve Francis ended with 15 points, while David Lee contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds in.

Knicks rookie Renaldo Balkman had 10 points and 12 boards for the first double-double of his career.

The Bulls have won seven of the last eight contests in this series. New York has lost four straight and nine of its last 10 at Chicago.

Chicago is 2-1 at the United Center this season, while the Knicks are 4-4 as the visitor.

The Knicks play the first of a three-game road trip this evening. They are scheduled to visit LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday and Chauncey Billups and the Detroit Pistons on Friday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

After tonight's game, the Bulls will go back on the road. They will visit Chris Paul and the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on Friday at the Ford Center.