The Chicago Bulls are 5-0.

Their 5-0 start to the season is the best since the 1996-97 season. It’s just the third time in franchise history they have started 5-0.

The Bulls led by as many as 22 in the first half, playing some of their best basketball, true to their identity. Adversity hit in the second half, when the Knicks were able to cut the lead down to two with 5:34 to go in the fourth quarter.

Credit to the Bulls for their perseverance. It’s a challenge to play with tempo in crunch time when the pace tends to slow down. But they were able to make plays when they needed to, and extend their winning streak to start the season. They beat New York 135- 125 and are now the last remaining unbeaten team in the East.

Josh Giddey registered his first 30-point game as a member of the Bulls, and a career-high 32 points on 57.1 percent shooting. He was two assists shy of a triple-double, adding 10 rebounds, eight assists and zero turnovers.

Ayo Dosunmu had one of the best games of his career, breaking defenders down in isolation and relentlessly attacking the paint. He went for 22 points, making 8-of-10 shots and adding nine assists.

Nikola Vucevic was key for the Bulls throughout, but especially late when he scored twice to extend the Bulls’ lead. His floor spacing ability (4-of-8 on threes) puts opposing bigs in such a difficult spot — leave him open for a jump shot or close out where he can attack.

He finished with 26 points (10-of-17 shooting) and seven rebounds.

With the win, the Bulls are now 1-0 in NBA Cup Group Play. As they and the Knicks were the only teams in their NBA Cup Group, Eastern Conference Group C, to play on Friday night, they are atop the group…for now.

Tune into the CHGO Bulls postgame live show:

Up next: The Bulls will face the Knicks again on Sunday, this time in New York.

The Bulls went down 13-5 after Karl-Anthony Towns made a layup for the Knicks at the 8:47 mark in the first quarter — the Bulls’ largest deficit of the game. 

They were stagnant in their actions, lacking ball pressure and physicality to keep New York from getting into their spots, and generally not playing to their identity. 

From then on, a switch flipped. The Bulls fought back to even, then went down by Dosunmu, who repeatedly put his head down and got to the rim. Vucevic continued his hot shooting, hitting 5-of-7 field goal attempts, and Giddey was electric with 21 points on 70 percent shooting, making 4-of-5 threes, with six rebounds and four assists.

It’s impossible for everything to go your way 100 percent of the time over the course of a single game, let alone 82. Adversity hit in the third quarter, as the Knicks cut the lead down to five, but that felt like the Bulls’ vision realized. They shot 59.5 percent from the field in the first half and 47.6 from three, had ten more points than New York at the free throw line, and turned the ball over only once. They scored a total of 72 points, winning the half by 19. — Will Gottlieb

Are the Bulls…actually good? Like, make the playoffs without taking the Play-In Tournament route to get there, good? There are still a lot of games left to play – 77 to be exact – but this is a far more promising start than I was expecting. The Knicks also represented the biggest test yet as far as a) quality of opponent, and b) rest. The Knicks came in with two days’ rest, but it was the Bulls — on one day’s rest — who kept the game at their preferred relentless pace.

Giddey played LIGHTS OUT in that first half that saw the Bulls put up 72 points. Dosunmu is…maybe the most lethal full-court transition scorer in the league? Vucevic continues to show his durability, selflessness and basketball IQ all over the floor.

I don’t know how sustainable this is. Can the Bulls play this fast in January and February? Can they all stay healthy playing this fast and physical? Will they continue to get lucky with opponents’ missed open looks and abysmal three-point percentage? If all or most of those things keep happening, we’ve got a really fun season cooking.

One that most folks — myself included — definitely did NOT see coming. — Matt Peck

Dude, give me more of these Bulls all day, every day. 

They had one turnover in the first half. Against the Knicks!

By the way, suck it, Knicks. 

Red Velvet is up for Sixth Man of the Year right now. Each time he comes in the game, along with Dosunmu, the execution elevates and the passing gets more crisp than a Granny Smith Apple. I hope he’s alright.

Speaking of Dosunmu, he was special tonight. His scoring and defense were sorely needed. That lay-up at the end of the third was ridiculous. He was the “Salve” guy tonight.

Yo. Giddey. Great game. He has been outstanding since Game 1. I said that he would be the engine for this offense and he has been just that. Excellent work from “Captain Crikey”. 

The Bulls’ execution was a thing of beauty. They had a possession where they passed it nine times, took a total of 11 dribbles and it ended with a Giddey baseline 3. That’s good stuff. 

Knicks suck. I hope you get two paper cuts on one finger. — Big Dave