New York pulls away in end to beat Chicago

NEW YORK – Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton each scored 20 points, and the New York Knicks limited the Chicago Bulls to two baskets in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, pulling away for a 103-95 victory Saturday.

Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari added 15 apiece for the Knicks, the NBA’s highest-scoring team but 28th in defense. Yet they didn’t allow a field goal for more than 8 minutes after the game was tied in the opening minutes of the final period.

Stoudemire anchored the defensive effort, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking six shots. Rookie Landry Fields finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who improved to 21-25 on Christmas. Felton had 12 assists and Chandler also grabbed 10 boards.

Wearing green uniforms for Christmas, the Knicks looked like a completely different team in beating Chicago for the second time this season, winning the series for the first time since 2000-01.

Carlos Boozer had 26 points and 19 rebounds for the Bulls, who lost for just the second time in 11 games.

The Bulls flopped in their first Christmas game since 1997, committing 22 turnovers that led to 23 points. They fell to 9-6 on the holiday, including 2-3 against the Knicks.

Derrick Rose had 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Bulls, but also committed seven turnovers.