talked about what it was like to take the court Monday not knowing where Rose was. “It was a scary situation to be in,” Anthony said. “I don’t even like thinking about that coming into a game, not knowing where somebody’s at, their whereabouts, if they’re OK. That’s the first thing that comes to mind. … I just wanted to make sure he’s OK.”

Anthony ended up getting ejected from the New Orleans game. The Knicks have been slumping, with 8 losses in nine games before playing the 76ers.

Facing the Bulls on Nov. 4 at the United Center brought out the best in the Knicks. New York won 117-104 behind 27 points from forward Kristaps Porzingis. Rose recorded his season high in assists (11) that night, and ex-Bulls center Joakim Noah set his season high with 16 points for the Knicks.

The Bulls have their own version of the lost-and-found point guard.

Rajon Rondo returned to the court Tuesday after being benched for five games. He played well, finishing with 12 points, 6 assists and 3 steals. Coach Fred Hoiberg said after the game he expects Rondo to get minutes against New York.

“It was great to have Rajon back in the lineup,” Taj Gibson said after the game, according to bulls.com. “His coaching ability on the court, how he moves the ball, it helps us a lot. We are a much better team with him on the court.”

Added Rondo, “It felt OK. I felt fast. I was just trying to bring energy off the bench and push the pace. That’s what I do.”

Several players took advantage of the increased playing time. Rookie Denzel Valentine led the Bulls with 19 points, his first game scoring in double figures. Bobby Portis, who hasn’t been in the rotation, finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

Valentine may have learned a lesson the hard way in the fourth quarter. After hitting a 3-pointer to put the Bulls ahead 92-85 with 7:37 left, Valentine did a little celebratory dance on the Wizards’ end of the floor.

As the game headed into a timeout, Gibson walked off the Bulls’ bench and appeared to be yelling at Valentine to knock it off.

Wizards guard John Wall saw it and following the game told reporters he walked over to Valentine after the timeout and told him, “You woke a monster.”

Washington immediately went on a 10-0 run. The Bulls regained the lead at 99-97 with 57 seconds left, but Wall buried two jumpers in a row; the second provided the winning points with five seconds left.

According to Elias Sports and The Washington Post, Wall had been 3-for-32 in his career on potential tying or go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime.

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