Douglas scores 30 as Knicks top Bulls

CHICAGO - Raymond Felton shook his head at the idea that the rest of the NBA still views his team as the same old Knicks. Before a 120-112 win over the Bulls last night at the United Center before a national television audience on TNT, Felton said it's important to change that perception.

"I mean, we've got to make a statement this year . . . Before it's over with, everybody's going to know about the New York Knicks,'' Felton said.

People now know about Felton's fellow guard, second-year player Toney Douglas, who had a career-high 30 points in 31:12 off the bench for the Knicks (2-2) in a win produced by relentless backcourt defense and red-hot three-point shooting. The Knicks hit 16 of 24 (66.7 percent) from three-point range, led by Douglas (5-for-9), Felton (4-for-6) and the return of Danilo Gallinari's touch (4-for-4). Gallinari, who seemed lost in the first three games, had 24 points, 21 in the first half.

"That's nice when they are going in like that,'' coach Mike D'Antoni said. " . . . I'm encouraged with what I have seen. We won two games with Amar'e not playing all that well.''

Amar'e Stoudemire (14 points) shot 5-for-21 from the field against the usual double-team pressure, which also resulted in eight turnovers. Stoudemire is tied with LeBron James with a league-high 6.2 turnovers per game.

Felton added 20 points and 10 assists as the Knick guards overshadowed Bulls star Derrick Rose, who had 24 points and 14 assists in 34 minutes but did not play the final 9:30 after the Knicks took a 19-point lead.

The Knicks went ahead by 21 points, 70-49, with 1:59 left in the first half. The Bulls cut their deficit to 95-87 with 11:21 left in the game before the Knicks pulled away with a 10-0 run sparked by a corner three by Douglas over Rose.

Douglas came into the league known for his defense, but his ability to score, especially his three-point shot, has blossomed.

"Coming in, I didn't worry about my offense,'' Douglas said. "I just wanted to make my trademark on the defensive end.'' He had four of the Knicks' 12 steals.

It was the Knicks' first game since Saturday's loss to the Trail Blazers in the Garden opener. Tuesday's game against the Magic was postponed when the Garden was temporarily closed because of asbestos concerns.

The previous time the Knicks appeared on TNT's Thursday night doubleheader, they scored 59 points. This time they hit 70 by halftime. That was due in large part to Gallinari, who said he was "playing more aggressive'' than he was in the opening week.

The Knicks, who entered the game shooting 42.9 percent from the field, shot 50 percent (40-for-80) in the game.

Rose had a spectacular dunk that will be seen on highlights for the rest of this season when he drove past Douglas and elevated over Gallinari. His 15-point third-quarter explosion helped bring the Bulls to within 93-84 early in the fourth. But after the Knicks upped the lead to 17, Rose went to the bench and never returned.

Even when the Bulls cut it to nine in the final five minutes - with the United Center crowd chanting "We want Rose!'' - first-year coach Tom Thibodeau chose to keep him on the bench.

"I was surprised that he wasn't coming back in because they were on a little roll,'' Douglas said.

In another head-scratcher, Joakim Noah (12 points, 13 rebounds in 33 minutes) did not play in the entire fourth quarter.