CHICAGO — Call it an attempt to show solidarity.
Knicks coach David Fizdale marched into the United Center on Tuesday with team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry close behind him.
After Fizdale’s pregame press conference, Fizdale, Mills and Perry walked together into the locker room.
Mills and Perry are rarely seen in the locker room during media availability, but there they were, laughing and joking with players.
“It’s always a media firestorm in New York,” Fizdale said before the game against the Bulls. “For everybody else this is a big deal, but for us it’s normal environment.’’
If this were a show, the feel-good script ended there.
The Knicks were routed, 120-102, and dropped to 2-9 as the Bulls gained revenge for their October loss with a frenetic 35-17 fourth-quarter rampage. The Knicks lost despite a slump-busting performance by rookie RJ Barrett (21 points, nine assists, six rebounds).
If Fizdale was placed on a 10-game leash following Sunday’s disgraceful loss to the Cavaliers at the Garden, he certainly wasn’t coaching that way, overplaying rusty point guard Dennis Smith Jr. in his return from a three-week absence.
The Knicks were tied with the Bulls at 85 after the third quarter, when ex-Chicago forward Bobby Portis drilled a corner 3 at the buzzer.
But Fizdale kept Smith in the game and there wasn’t much sense to it. The Bulls ran off to a 102-89 lead in the first four minutes of the fourth when they put together a 22-0 run. Smith finally departed after a rough outing — 14 minutes, zero points, 0 for 3 from the field, three turnovers and a minus-22. He will have one game under his belt when Kristaps Porzingis and the Maverricks visit the Garden on Thursday.
After that game, it would seem best if Smith gets back into shape with a G-League game or two. In the first half Tuesday, he played 6:03 total and was a minus-13, missing his only shot attempt.
Despite another defeat, there was a clear attempt to calm roiling waters. Sources indicated Mills and Perry felt their unprecedented James
Dolan-inspired press conference came off as too harsh in the form of pinning the blame on the coach.
The bright spot Tuesday was Barrett, who had been shooting 32 percent in his last six games. He was marvelous against the Bulls, helping keep the Knicks in it. He shot 8 of 16 and was a defensive spark.
The Bulls were led by 2019 lottery pick Coby White, who scored 27 (7 of 11 on 3-pointers) with his North Carolina coach Roy Williams on hand, and 2018 lottery pick Wendell Carter Jr., who scored 17 points with 12 rebounds. Zach Lavine added 25.
The Knicks trailed 60-54 at halftime but were hurt by Fizdale’s attempt to ease Smith back into the mix after being away while mourning his stepmother’s death.
After Smith got into the game, the Bulls closed the first quarter on a 12-0 run and the Knicks fell behind 30-22. Smith committed two turnovers and nearly a third, but it was as credited to Marcus Morris after Smith fired a hot pass to him after he attempted a drive.
Barrett, Kevin Knox, and Julius Randle (17 points, 5 of 15 shooting) got them back into the game in the second quarter after falling behind by 12.
Knox (10 points) looked aggressive on both ends and had one superior pass to Barrett for a fast-break dunk.
While Randle popped in 10 first-half points, he also shot two airballs from 3-point range, where he has struggled. He also had a key turnover during the Bulls’ fourth-quarter run.
Ref;nypost.com