Hornacek and Niang get the best of Hoiberg during Bulls back-to-back

Oct 29, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) goes to block the shot of Indiana Pacers forward Georges Niang (32) during the second half at United Center. The Bulls won 118-101. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Former Iowa State stars Jeff Hornacek and Georges Niang will both have bragging rights over former Cyclone Fred Hoiberg after the last couple days.

Hoiberg’s Chicago Bulls dropped a pair of games on back-to-back days against Hornacek’s New York Knicks and Niang’s Indiana Pacers over the weekend. The losses dropped the new-look Bulls to 3-3 this season.

Friday night’s game was the first matchup between Hornacek and Hoiberg as coaches in the same conference. The two split the season series last year before Hornacek was fired by the Phoenix Suns.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 27 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 25 to lead the Knickerbockers to the 117-104 win at the United Center in Chicago. Dwayne Wade scored 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the best game he’s played so far as a member of the Bulls.

Hornacek, Iowa State’s all-time leader in assists, has led New York to a 2-3 start in his first season with the team.

Niang played a little more than two minutes and went 0-of-1 from 3-point range in Indiana’s 111-94 win on Saturday. Pacers star Paul George was ejected from the game during the second half after inadvertently kicking the ball into the stands and hitting a fan.

Niang, Iowa State’s second all-time leading scorer, is averaging one point in five minutes per game so far during his rookie year.

The Pacers and Bulls have split the season series so far as Chicago won the first game 118-101 on Oct. 29. The teams will play two more times during the season on Dec. 26 and Dec. 30.

The Knicks and Bulls square off twice more this season on Jan. 12 and Apr. 4.

Jared Stansbury

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Jared a native of Clarinda, Iowa, started as the Cyclone Fanatic intern in August 2013, primarily working as a videographer until starting on the women’s basketball beat prior to the 2014-15 season. Upon earning his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State in May 2016, Jared was hired as the site’s full-time staff writer, taking over as the primary day-to-day reporter on football and men’s basketball. He was elevated to the position of managing editor in January 2020. He is a regular contributor on 1460 KXNO in Des Moines and makes regular guest appearances on radio stations across the Midwest. Jared resides in Ankeny with his four-year-old puggle, Lolo.

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