A 19-point comeback would normally be front-page news for 29 teams in the NBA; to the New York Knicks, it’s just a walk in Central Park.
New York grabs their second consecutive win of the season in a 133-127 victory over the Chicago Bulls. This marks the fourth consecutive Knicks win against the Bulls.
It seems that most Knicks matchups against the Bulls leave you on the edge of your seat, no matter where either team falls in the standings. Since 2021, 11 of the 22 matchups between the two have ended within two scores.
The first half was filled with hold-your-breath moments as three different Knicks were temporarily affected by injuries. OG Anunoby quickly reentered the game after hitting his head on Karl-Anthony Towns’s knee; Towns exited to the locker room holding his wrist after bracing his fall, only to return with it wrapped shortly after; and Landry Shamet limped his way to the locker room with an ankle injury and also returned.
Vibes were at a low as the Knicks went down by as much as 19 late in the third quarter, with Norman Powell having his best game of the season. That was until the bench unit led the way.
Andre Drummond, Tyler Kolek, and Shamet started the run late in the third quarter, with the three scoring the last 13 points to close out the quarter. Drummond snagged 6 rebounds in the quarter, and Kolek and Jordan Clarkson both nailed two 3-pointers. They’d cut the lead down to six with 12 to go.
After playing just 16 minutes in the first three games and a DNP against Detroit, Clarkson checked in and didn’t let his lack of minutes get to him. The Flame Thrower, in the first eight minutes of the fourth, dropped 12 points on five-for-six from the field and two-for-three from 3-point while tacking on two steals. The Knicks’ 43-point 4th quarter is the most by any team this season; their 22 3-pointers on the game are tied for the most by any team this season.
You can’t talk about this game without mentioning Jalen Brunson, who had by far his best game of the season. His 11 in the first quarter kept New York afloat early, and his 14 on near-perfect efficiency with three 3-pointers helped close it out. The Captain ended the night with 38 points, seven assists, and two steals with six 3-pointers. He also added a nasty ankle-breaker to his deep highlight reel.
Towns had another great performance with 19 points and 13 assists. This is his fifth straight double-double of the season, the most of anyone in the NBA. He also averages 13.8 rebounds per game, the second most.
Kolek ends with nine points as well as nine assists for the second time this season. No one is racking up more assists in a timeframe like his, and it isn’t close; Kolek leads the NBA in assists/min (0.48).
The 2-3 Knicks will look to grab their third consecutive win on Friday in a rematch against the 4-1 Philadelphia 76ers. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Amazon Prime.
