The New York Knicks suffered a heartbreaking 124-123 loss to the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, as Coby White sank three clutch free throws with less than five seconds remaining to seal the victory for Chicago. This was a tough loss for the Knicks, especially after they mounted erasing a 22-point deficit.
The Knicks, led by Dominican superstar Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored in 46 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Towns, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade this summer, looked every bit the All-Star, but it was clear that New York is still in the process of figuring out their new roster.
New York was also powered by the duo of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, who combined for 44 points, but despite their best efforts, the team couldn’t quite close out the game.
Heartbreak
Brunson’s final-second buzzer-beater attempt, which rimmed out as time expired, was heartbreaking for Knicks fans.
“I mean, he contested it pretty well but I’ve worked on that shot since high school,” a visibly disappointed Brunson said after the game.
“Ball was halfway down, but, I mean, I can’t really say much about it.”
The Knicks were playing their first back-to-back of the season after a hard-fought win over the Philadelphia 76ers the night before.
After being down by 22 points, the Knicks went on a 17-0 run to end the quarter, closing the gap and giving themselves a chance to take control in the second half. They shot 60.4% from the field in the second half (29 of 48), a huge improvement to their 41.3% shooting in the first half (19 of 46).
With the Knicks leading by two, Josh Hart fouled Coby White. White, who had already been playing an important role in the game with 19 points, stepped to the line and sank all three of his free throws to give the Bulls a one-point lead.
With just a few seconds left on the clock, New York had one last chance to steal the win. That’s when Brunson’s shot, a contested mid-range jumper, rolled in and out of the rim.
For the Bulls, it was a statement win on the road, fueled by Zach LaVine’s 31-point performance and White’s clutch free throws. For the Knicks, however, this defeat is a bitter pill to swallow. Despite a strong individual performance from Towns and solid contributions from Brunson and Hart, they were unable to close the deal in front of their home crowd.
