On Wednesday night, the home crowd paid a heavy price despite the New York Knicks defeating the Chicago Bulls 133-127. Jalen Brunson finally showed why he is the captain of this team, dropping 38 points and seven assists to lead a comeback. However, the loss also exposed a glaring hole in the Bulls’ defense that won’t get easier to fix. The game was a mix of brilliant individual play and frustrating defensive lapses that left the Bulls with their fourth loss in five games.
Brunson Finally Shows His True Form
For weeks, the point guard play for New York has been a mess. Brunson started the year with terrible shooting numbers, looking nothing like the player we saw in the playoffs. That changed on Wednesday. He hit shots he had been missing all season and reminded everyone that he is a clutch performer. The AP reported that Brunson scored 38 points while Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the visitors. Norman Powell scored 30 points for Chicago, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Knicks from grabbing control in the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run.
The bench play from the Knicks was also a major factor. Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to score 18 points in just 17 minutes. He went 7-for-11 from the field and had a plus-minus of 15, which was the highest on the court for New York. Sports Illustrated noted that Clarkson and Brunson spent 10 minutes together and posted a 150 offensive rating during that time. Without that spark, the Bulls might have held on for the win.
Bridges and McBride Are a Major Worry
The real problem for the Bulls isn’t just the loss; it is the inability to stop the Knicks’ key players when it matters. While the Knicks have their own issues, the Bulls’ defense looked lost against a team that is 2-3. On the Knicks side, the story is just as ugly for two specific players. Mikal Bridges has been invisible for most of the season, and Miles McBride has been just as bad outside of one good game. Sports Illustrated noted that Bridges has appeared hesitant or aggressive yet terrible for four and a half games. Outside of one half against the Pistons where he performed well, he vanished entirely.
Miles McBride is in the same boat. He admitted his own struggles by saying, “I’ve had one good game but have been bad outside of that.” The Knicks need both of them to step up if they want to stay relevant in the East. The Bulls, meanwhile, must find a way to contain the dynamic scoring duo of Brunson and Clarkson. Tre Jones sank a half-court shot at the buzzer to hand Chicago a 62-56 halftime lead, yet the second-half defense fell apart. Before collapsing in the second half, the Bulls held a lead of as many as 19 points. This loss shows that the Bulls cannot rely on early leads if their defense does not lock in.
Both teams head into Friday night games with questions to answer. The Knicks play at Philadelphia, while the Bulls travel to Boston. The Bulls need to fix their defensive rotation immediately, or the losses will pile up fast. The Knicks proved they have a superstar who can take over a game, but their supporting cast still has huge holes.
