Knicks turn to Jalen Brunson to dispatch Bulls

Field Level Media|published: Tue 9th April, 22:52 2024

Apr 9, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) defends Chicago Bulls forward Torrey Craig (13) during the first quarter at United Center. credits: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Brunson scored 45 points, OG Anunoby added 24 and Josh Hart had a double-double to lift the visiting New York Knicks to a 128-117 win against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.

New York (47-32) took sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks, with three regular-season games remaining.

The Knicks led by as many as 17. The Bulls trimmed their deficit to four points on a Nikola Vucevic layup with 7:54 left in the game but couldn't match New York's depth down the stretch.

Brunson led the charge with his second 40-point game in a row and his 10th this season, second most in the NBA. He finished 13-for-24 from the floor, including 7-for-12 from deep, while also dishing out eight assists.

Hart had 17 points and 13 rebounds while Donte DiVincenzo (21 points) and Isaiah Hartenstein (11) also scored in double figures.

Chicago (37-42) maintained a one-game lead on the Atlanta Hawks for home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament game between the 9 and 10 seeds. The Bulls also hold the tiebreaker.

DeMar DeRozan paced Chicago with 34 points. Vucevic (26 points) and Coby White (24) followed, while Javonte Green grabbed 12 boards.

Brunson enjoyed a strong first half, collecting 24 points and five assists. But his lone turnover of the game triggered a wild sequence just before intermission.

Moments after Vucevic swished a 3 to draw the Bulls within six points, White swooped in to intercept Brunson's inbounds pass and drilled a trey with 1.6 seconds left. It was White's 205th 3-pointer of the season, setting a new single-season franchise record.

New York still had time for another shot, however, and capitalized. DiVincenzo banked in a buzzer-beating trey from just beyond half court to send the Knicks into the locker room with a 68-62 lead.

Bulls big man Andre Drummond left the game with a left ankle injury early in the second quarter and needed to be wheeled off the court.

New York leads the season series 2-1. The Knicks are set to host the Bulls in the regular-season finale on Sunday.

—Field Level Media

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