Halloween night in Chicago turned into a full-blown fright show for the Knicks, who couldn’t exorcise their early-season demons and fell 135–125 to the undefeated Bulls. What started as a nightmare first half turned into a false hope of redemption – and then, just as quickly, back into a meltdown.
The Bulls came out swinging, dropping 72 points in the first half and leading by as many as 22. The Knicks looked dazed, slow to rotate, and completely out of sync defensively. But once again, they teased a comeback. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, New York had chipped away at the deficit, cutting it down to just two points with 5:43 to play. The energy was back, the bench was on its feet, and it felt like momentum was about to flip.
Except it didn’t.
That two-point margin was as close as they’d get. Once the Bulls hit the gas again, the Knicks had no answer. Nikola Vucevic took over in the paint, bullying Karl-Anthony Towns down low and scoring with ease. Chicago’s 8–0 run late in the fourth – capped by a flurry of interior buckets and transition finishes – stretched the lead back to 12 with 1:44 left. The Knicks never recovered, and by the time the final horn sounded, it felt like déjà vu from one of those maddening midseason losses fans know too well.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 29 points, while OG Anunoby was on fire offensively, finishing with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Anunoby was particularly sharp from deep, going 5-of-7 from three, including two straight makes that cut the Bulls’ 21-point lead to single digits late in the first half. Mikal Bridges added 23, including a halftime buzzer-beater from long range that trimmed what had been a 22-point deficit down to 19. Towns had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds but was largely outplayed by Vucevic in the second half.
“Coach came up with a game plan and it’s on us to deliver. We can’t switch the game plan if we don’t do the game plan hard enough. I don’t know what to say.”
– Jalen Brunson
The Bulls, meanwhile, were rolling. Josh Giddey delivered a near triple-double masterclass with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists on 12-of-21 shooting, hitting four clutch threes that kept the Knicks from ever closing the gap. Vucevic piled on 26 points, and Ayo Dosunmu torched the Knicks’ second unit for 22 off the bench.
Chicago dominated the Knicks in the paint, outscoring them 54–38, and their hustle made all the difference. They forced 12 turnovers and turned those into a brutal 25 points. The Knicks coughed the ball up nine fewer times but could only convert those opportunities into 12 points – the kind of efficiency gap that separates contenders from pretenders.
There’s really no excuse for this one. The Knicks were healthy. The starters played big minutes. And yet, they never once took a lead – not in the first half, not in the second, not at all. The bench was nearly invisible, producing just 21 points compared to Chicago’s 53. Dosunmu alone outscored the entire New York second unit.
The loss drops the Knicks to 2–3 on the season and marks their third straight defeat – a streak that’s starting to sting after such a promising start. The Bulls, now one of only three remaining unbeaten teams in the league (and the lone one in the East), look like a team on a mission.
The Knicks? They’ll get a chance for revenge soon enough, with a rematch set for Sunday night back at Madison Square Garden. But if Halloween in Chicago was any indication, they’ll need more than candy and costume magic to keep from reliving this nightmare.
rady
KnicksOnline.com founder. Software tester by day time, sports shooter by free time. Rocking with the orange and blue since the mid 90s.