The Chicago Bulls pulled off a one-point victory Wednesday night at the world’s most famous arena against the New York Knicks 124-123. Chicago jumped out to a big first-half lead on the strength of precise shooting and persistent defense. As the game wore on though, the Knicks chipped away at a 20-plus point lead to eventually tie the game and take the lead in the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns led the comeback for New York with 46 points, the most ever by a Knicks player against the Bulls. A final-minute injury would hobble him for the game’s most important sequence and put Jalen Brunson in a pair of positions to lead the offense, one of which he succeeded in and another in which he failed at the buzzer.
After Brunson put the Knicks up two with under five seconds to go, Coby White was fouled on a three-point attempt by Josh Hart, and White nailed all three free throws. Brunson got off a clean look at the horn that would’ve won the game for New York, but after a second of rolling around the rim, the ball fell harmlessly to the floor, and the Bulls preserved their road victory. Zach LaVine led the way for the Bulls on offense with 31, including 19 in the first half on 4/5 shooting from beyond the arc. The story for Chicago, however, was about their defense and how well they were able to stick to the star-studded Knicks starters.
Chicago Bulls Edge New York Knicks 124-123
The Chicago Bulls found themselves in yet another tight game Wednesday night in New York when they took on the Knicks. New York has struggled to get out of the gate, and their expectations far exceed those of the Bulls this season, but in this game, both teams played well at different times. The Bulls got out to a respectable lead and extended it with a string of hot shooting from Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic. LaVine torched New York defenders with off-the-dribble threes, Williams nailed his open shots, and Vucevic took advantage of opportunities below the free-throw line to make quality shots on the perimeter and in the paint.
Chicago went in at the half leading by 12 and didn’t make the adjustments to maintain that lead. Their defense became more porous, and the ball movement that had set them up for good chances in the first half seemingly evaporated, and they went cold from the distance. Coby White struggled in particular, missing open shots that he has made time and time again with the Bulls. White struggled from behind the line for the whole game, going 2/9 from three-point range. The static ball movement really hampered Josh Giddey and Patrick Williams, who didn’t have the space to create or shoot their set shots.
Scorching Hot Karl-Anthony Towns
The New York Knicks seized the chance to make up ground on the Bulls starting in the third quarter. The story for New York was first-year Knick Karl-Anthony Towns scoring 46 points, the most ever given up by the Bulls against a player for the Knicks. Towns took over the third quarter after moving inside and driving the ball to the basket. The adjustment paid dividends for the Knicks, who whittled the lead down by the end of the third quarter and set up a competitive fourth quarter. Chicago didn’t make any changes when guarding Towns and he stayed hot in the fourth quarter as New York completely erased a 22-point deficit with a 17-0 run and took the lead.
When Billy Donovan put in his closing lineup, the Bulls retook the lead, and the game was a back-and-forth for the final six minutes of action. Zach LaVine responded to the Knick’s scoring outbursts with makes of his own, and he helped keep the game tight for the Bulls. After a stellar shooting performance in the third quarter, the Knicks went cold from behind the arc and could only get points by driving to the hoop and setting up Chicago to run the fast break if they couldn’t convert. OG Anunoby couldn’t knock down his open shots in the final quarter, and after a solid first three-quarters of play, he couldn’t pull through down the stretch. Neither team played particularly well in the game’s final minutes, but Jalen Brunson and Coby White would be the ones to decide in the final 60 seconds.
Heated Final Minute
The game was tied at 119-119 after Karl-Anthony Towns notched his final points of the game on a contested layup up the left baseline. Towns were hurt on the next possession up the floor when he bumped knees with Zach LaVine, who was trying to get around the Knicks center and get to the basket. Towns would stay in the game but was noticeably impacted by the knee injury. The play worked out in the short term, though, as the ball rolled out of bounds, and New York took over with 56 seconds remaining. Jalen Brunson drained the shot clock and, with one second to go, nailed a step-back jumper that put the Knicks up two, 121-119.
Brunson would cancel his impressive jumper out when Chicago had the ball, and Brunson fouled Ayo Dosunmu, sending him to the line where he would make both free throws and draw the game back even at 121-121. Back on offense and with Towns hobbled, the whole building knew who was taking the shot, and with five seconds left, Jalen Brunson lifted a runner off the backboard, around the rim, and in. The Bulls needed a response and opted for a double option in-bounds play. Josh Hart and Zach LaVine needed to be separated after competing for positioning before the inbound, and both teams convened around the guards.
Although they weren’t being physical with each other when the ball was getting ready to be put into play, the verbal tension was still present. The Knicks played great defense for the first four seconds of the Bull’s out-of-bounds action, but a late flare screen freed up Coby White, and he jacked up a moving three as soon as the ball was in his hands and missed it terribly. The only problem for New York was that Josh Hart swiped at White from behind and fouled him, sending the career 85% shooter to the line, where he made all three and put the Bulls up 124-123. With just over three seconds left, Jalen Brunson got the ball on the wing and drove toward the baseline before stopping on a dime and turning around to put up the game’s final shot, one way or the other. Luck went to Chicago this time around, and after the ball hit off the rim and rolled around the cylinder, it fell harmlessly to the floor, and the Bulls escaped with the victory, their fifth of the year.
