CHICAGO — It was a good sign Sunday night, Kemba Walker wanted to play his first back-to-back set since the 2019-20 season.
It’s a bad sign Walker posted another single-digit outing — seven points, four assists on 3-for-9 shooting in 17:58. Walker watched the fourth quarter as the Knicks disintegrated in a 109-103 loss to the Bulls at United Center.
After playing against the Rockets on Saturday, Walker decided to give it a go again versus the Bulls on Sunday. He made the decision Saturday night.
“I just wanted to play,’’ Walker said. “I knew I was playing. I’m feeling good. I’m doing everything I can to take care of myself. Training staff, give those guys credit. I’m putting in the work.’’
Walker wouldn’t guarantee he’ll play all back-to-backs, but said he will do some.
![Kemba Walker had just seven points four assists against the Bulls Sunday.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/BASKETBALL-NBA-CHI-NYK_-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024)
“I felt regular,’’ Walker added. “It was cool. I’m taking it game by game. I’m not playing all 82 games. It doesn’t matter if it’s back-to-back. I’m taking it game by game. It just depends.’’
It’s the first time since early in the 2019-20 season Walker played both ends of a back-to-back set. Last season the Celtics wouldn’t let Walker play back-to-back and he stopped playing many of them midway through the 2019-20 campaign.
Earlier this month, Walker sat out one leg of the back-to-back set against Cleveland and Philadelphia.
“Nothing is set in stone for back-to-backs,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. “It’s just communication with medical people. Kemba has a lot of say in it. I trust him. He feels comfortable. And he’s done a great job taking care of his body.’’
With Rose’s effectiveness, Walker hasn’t been able to adjust to less minutes and now has posted eight single-digit outings in his past 11 games. That’s only notable because he had a streak of 40 double-digit games broken earlier this month.