The New York Knicks defeated the Chicago Bulls 128-177. Jalen Brunson is making a serious case for NBA MVP with another 40+ point game as the season wanes.
The New York Knicks got revenge against the Chicago Bulls, beating them 128-117. The Knicks’s offense exploded, helping New York to an early lead that never relinquished. The Bulls fought to keep the game competitive throughout the action, but the Knicks always had an answer for Chicago’s comeback attempts.
Jalen Brunson continued his torrid scoring pace, dominating his matchup with an elite defender in Alex Caruso. OG Anunoby played his best game since returning from an elbow injury, while the Nova boys, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart, continued their hot streaks. The Knicks are building momentum at a perfect time with the postseason approaching.
Let’s take a closer look at the Knicks’ victory.
The Knicks’ starters have hit their rhythm
Jalen Brunson: 45 PTS (13/24 FG, 7/12 3PT, 12/12 FT), 8 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 42 mins
Jalen Brunson got off to another hot start and never looked back. He began the game knocking down threes while jawing at Alex Caruso, and his red-hot shooting continued throughout the action. Brunson always shows a knack for drawing contact and finishing inside, which was compounded by his shooting and made guarding him impossible.
I’ve typed enough about Brunson’s playmaking recently, but it pops even more when his supporting cast is rolling. New York’s MVP candidate dismantled double-teams in a myriad of ways. First, he picked out OG Anunoby on cuts to the basket. Next, he spotted shooters like DiVincenzo and McBride along the perimeter. Finally, he went to the tried and true option of hitting Hartenstein near the top of the key and cutting. Thanks to all those other players rolling, the Bulls couldn’t force the ball from Brunson’s hands without paying a price.
I’ll slip my only complaint in here: Brunson ran himself into screens looking for offensive foul calls. This approach got him obliterated a few times with no whistle from the refs, leaving the Bulls’ shooters wide open. But it’s a minor quibble when Brunson dominated the action in many ways. Brunson gets a 5 out of 5 for another MVP-caliber night.
Donte DiVincenzo: 21 PTS (8/15 FG, 3/9 3PT, 2/2 FT), 6 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 3 TO in 37 mins
Donte DiVincenzo shredded the Bulls with his passing as much as his shooting. Brunson’s scoring garnered extra attention, which meant the Big Ragu could attack an off-balance defense from the weak side. DiVo continually dribbled past closing defenders and made the extra pass from the lane, leading to a hefty six assists for the wing.
Ironically, DiVincenzo’s usual stellar shooting was inconsistent. He missed some of his best looks of the night and snuck his shooting efficiency up by knocking down a half-court shot before the half-time buzzer. But he was so effective off the dribble that his shooting woes never stood out.
DiVincenzo did have a negative stretch stand out, however. He made consecutive turnovers in the fourth quarter that gave the Bulls a bit of life just when it seemed like the game was in hand. The Knicks recovered and put Chicago away, but it was an uncharacteristic stretch of poor decisions from Donte. DiVincenzo gets a 3 out of 5 for a well-rounded game with some blemishes.
Josh Hart: 16 PTS (6/7 FG, 1/1 3PT, 3/3 FT), 7 AST, 13 REB, 1 TO in 46 mins
Josh Hart made up for lost time against the Bulls. He got ejected 11 minutes into the last matchup, so his 46 minutes of action felt like a small dose of personal revenge.
Hart used his extra minutes effectively, leading all players in rebounds and notching the second-most assists in the game. But we see Hart rebounding and playmaking every night; his sixteen points are the real bonus. Hart continued a recent run of quick trigger drives and quality finishing. His wrist injury has pushed him to drive more frequently, and his lack of hesitation is paying dividends.
Hart’s only downside was defending Demar Derozan when OG Anunoby had foul trouble. But Derozan had an unstoppable game, so it’s hard to blame Hart for it. Otherwise, Josh continues to be an energizer, providing connective tissue for the scorers in the starting unit. He gets a 4 out of 5 for contributing across the board.
OG Anunoby: 24 PTS (10/18 FG, 4/6 3PT), 1 AST, 3 REB, 1 BLK, 2 TO in 35 mins
OG Anunoby is rapidly shaking off the rust. His 24 points felt easy because he let everything come within the flow of offense. OG’s first baskets came from off-ball cuts to the basket. Then he finally got hot from three-point land. Finally, OG began catching the ball in motion and driving at defenders off the dribble. His midrange pull-up jumpers rimmed out, but any time he got to the rim, Anunoby finished.
Anunoby’s defense looked great when he wasn’t fouling. OG put clamps on Demar Derozan, even as the Bulls’ star scored on every other defender. But our defensive ace picked up some bad fouls by reaching unnecessarily or pushing in too close to the ball handler. The refs even bailed him out from a foul call in the second quarter, but moments later, he picked up a fourth foul and had to sit.
It’s tantalizing to think that OG is still rounding into shape. His impact is already outsized, and his shooting stroke hasn’t fully come around. I don’t like that he grabbed at the elbow after some tumbles to the ground, but his play put any concerns to rest. Anunoby gets a 3.5 out of 5 for making everything look easy.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 11 PTS (5/5 FG, 1/2 FT), 6 AST, 4 REB,1 STL, 3 BLK, 1 TO in 28 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein battled Nikola Vucevic throughout the action. Vucevic made I-Hart defend out to the three-point line and finished some post-ups. But Hartenstein made up for being outscored with dimes and defense. New York’s best-passing sequences all keyed from Hartenstein above the free-throw line, quarterbacking the action.
While I-Hart had trouble containing Vucevic, he made a positive impact by defending everyone else. Hartenstein blocked players at the rim and poked or deflected several loose balls. He did well whenever he could defend in drop coverage and pick up players around the paint.
Since Randle’s injury, Hartenstein has evolved into a key figure for the offense. Without Randle’s post-presence, it’s up to I-Hart to create gravity down the middle and find open shooters. This performance highlighted Hartenstein’s growth and impact in that role. The big man gets a 3.5 out of 5 for setting off my favorite ball movement moments.
New York’s second unit has an off-night
Miles McBride: 7 PTS (3/10 FG, 1/6 3PT), 2 AST, 2 REB in 22 mins
Miles McBride cooled off from deep, uncharacteristically missing multiple open looks. But he came up with big buckets to start the fourth quarter by driving the rim. The successful drives show a promising new wrinkle to McBride’s development.
Deuce’s defense lacked its typical bite. But there was a stretch of the late third quarter into the fourth where McBride shared the floor with OG Anunoby, and they slowed Chicago down. The Bulls made a lot of tough shots, so even a brief window of defensive stops proved important.
It’s not his best, but McBride made some positive plays. Despite the tough shooting night, Deuce scrapes a 2 out of 5 together.
Bojan Bogdanovic: 3 PTS (1/4 FG, 1/2 3PT), 1 AST, 1 REB, 1 TO in 9 mins
Bojan Bogdanovic made a nice jab step into a three-pointer for his lone field goal in the game. But he didn’t do anything else positive that stood out, and his minutes were cut below ten. His lone turnover led to some comedy as Torrey Craig and Andre Drummond tried to dunk in the ensuing fast break.
Mitchell Robinson: 0 PTS (0/0 FG), 1 REB, 2 STL in 20 mins
The Bulls’ second unit went small after Andre Drummond injured his ankle. That shift in playstyle put Mitchell Robinson’s lack of mobility on display. He’s not as agile as he was before injuring his foot, and that meant quick guards blew past him to finish at the rim. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Mitch fail to protect the rim so often.
Even when Robinson shared the floor with Vucevic, the Bulls’ spacing kept Mitch away from the basket. He never had time to position himself for rebounds. We’ve seen the Block Ness Monster struggle against five-out schemes before, but this was his toughest game in a long time.
Mitch has time to regain mobility, but this performance worries me if New York plays well-spaced opponents in the postseason. Robinson gets a 1 out of 5 for a tough day in the office.
Tom Thibodeau previews a playoff rotation
Tom Thibodeau’s rotation tightened up again. He played an eight-man rotation, but that’s a generous descriptor when Bojan Bogdanovic only played nine minutes. I wish he could get a few more minutes of rest for Brunson, Hart, and OG, but these games are too important to risk. Plus, it ought to help that these guys are used to playing heavy minutes loads when the postseason starts.
Outside of the tighter rotation, I was glad to see Thibodeau use his challenges liberally. He won a challenge on an out-of-bounds call and then lost an additional challenge on a moving screen. Sometimes, it’s worth using these challenges symbolically to galvanize the refs or players. Thibs seems to have found that balance.
Closing Thoughts:
The Knicks have a great shot at winning their final three games of the regular season. Boston is resting its starters frequently in preparation for the postseason. Brooklyn’s season has been over for weeks. Then, New York plays the Bulls for its finale, and the Knicks just sent them a message.
Those wins will leave the Knicks no worse than third place and potentially in second. Who could have predicted this level of success when Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, and OG Anunoby missed months of the season? It’s a testament to this franchise and every player on the roster that they’ve only gotten stronger after injuries conspired to limit them.
Boston’s up next, and I suspect they’ll rest a starter or two because why show your hand to a potential playoff opponent down the line? That should leave the Knicks in a great position to win another game. I want these wins, I want the top-three spot, and I want a 50-burger! I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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