On the second night of a back-to-back, the New York Knicks looked exhausted as they were outrun by the Chicago Bulls in the second half, losing by a score of 139-126. New York has dropped two straight games and fallen to 24-12 while Chicago has improved to 16-19.
The Knicks had a bad second half for the second consecutive night
After having a horrible fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, the Knicks underwent a similar story on Saturday against the Bulls.
They entered the halftime break with a nine-point lead, followed by a 20-minute ceremony for the Bulls to commemorate Derrick Rose’s career. That ceremony may have inspired Chicago, as they came out gunning it in the third quarter and never looked back.
The Bulls outscored them 41-17 in the third quarter, which would be the only quarter New York lost. The Knicks had no answer for Coby White, who compiled 18 of his 33 points in the second half and finished with nine made threes.
The Knicks showed massive signs of fatigue, as they were without Miles McBride once again with a hamstring injury and still haven’t had Mitchell Robinson all season. The bench provided a spark in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to eight, but it would be all for nothing as the Knicks couldn’t complete the comeback late.
Karl-Anthony Towns was dominant despite the loss
Karl-Anthony Towns was a bright spot for the Knicks in this one, as he put on a tremendous performance as his MVP-level season continues.
Towns notched 44 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while shooting 17-for-29 from the floor and 3-for-7 from three. He attempted to climb the Knicks back into late, as he scored 25 points in the fourth quarter and couldn’t be stopped.
However, poor transition defense along with bad perimeter defense led to their demise. Towns had a bit of an injury scare late in the fourth quarter, as he was seen grabbing his knee and then limped his way out of the game in the closing minutes. The big man played 37 minutes after playing 42 on Friday in Oklahoma City.
Overview
The Knicks get a much-needed day off on Sunday, and they will head back home for a five-game homestand. That homestand begins on Monday when the Knicks take on the Orlando Magic for the fourth time in a month.