The Chicago Bulls survive in Madison Square Garden to beat the New York Knicks, 124-123. Chicago earns their second win in their last three games. The Knicks’ late surge in the third quarter was not enough, led by the red-hot Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 46 points (Season-High) and ten rebounds.
Jalen Brunson gave New York the lead late with a layup to go up 123-121 with 5 seconds left in the game. But out of a Chicago timeout, Josh Hart committed a questionable foul, leading to Coby White hitting three clutch free throws to take a 124-123 lead. White struggled early on but caught fire late to get 22 points. Brunson had the last chance to get the game-winner at the buzzer, but the ball hit every piece of the rim and fell out. Everybody in Madison Square Garden thought that shot went in, but the Bulls got a break and survived.
Brunson finished the night with 24 points and eight assists. Mikal Bridges helped with 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists. O.G. Anunoby almost got a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Zach Lavine stays hot
The fast-paced Bulls squad continues to play with a fast tempo, which played a significant role early on when they held the lead for almost the entire game. New York was coming off a win in Philadelphia the night before, and Chicago knew their game plan from the opening tip. Zach Lavine scored 13 of the last 15 points in the second quarter to extend the Bulls lead to 12, 59-47. Lavine finished the game with 31 points, shooting 70% from the field and 50% from three. He also contributed by helping out with eight assists and seven rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic contributed with another double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Patrick Williams played early with 11 points in the first half but finished the game with 18 points, 3-4 from three. Ayo Dosunmu got 16 points off the bench.
Final Thoughts
Bulls late game struggles continue
Chicago lost a lead during the fourth quarter for the fourth straight game. The positive is that those four games resulted in a 2-2 record, but the negative is that this issue is becoming a bad habit of the Bulls. Late in this game against New York, Chicago was going too fast at times instead of slowing down and taking their time. White and Lavine had five turnovers combined during the fourth quarter. Lavine finished the game with six turnovers.
New York’s comeback not enough
Karl-Anthony Towns had the best night so far in his Knicks career with 44 points, but it wasn’t enough for a Knicks team that was exhausted and couldn’t match the fast-paced Bulls. New York will fall under .500 again and look to return to the win column on Friday.
Up Next
Chicago will travel to face Cleveland on Friday.
New York will host Brooklyn on Friday.
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