Knicks erase big deficit but lose to Bulls after Josh Hart's foul, Jalen Brunson's last-second miss
Josh Hart #3 of the Knicks reacts after a foul during the final seconds of a game against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Knicks were right there.
They were seconds away from completing an inspiring comeback, seconds away from having the kind of game that makes you believe that anything can happen.
And then, with one heartbreaking mistake, it all fizzled away in the frantic final seconds as the Bulls defeated the Knicks, 124-123, Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks, who had trailed by as many as 22 points, were up by two when Josh Hart came over the back and fouled Chicago’s Coby White as he launched a three-pointer with :03 left.
After White hit all three free throws, the Knicks called timeout. It looked for a second that Jalen Brunson had saved the day in the last second, but then his turnaround jumper rimmed out as time expired.
“We lost the game because I fouled at the end. There’s no silver lining. There’s no other excuse,” Hart said after the game. “I made an inexcusable mistake at the end of the game and it cost us the game. And now there’s nothing we can do about it.
“It was a tough one. It should have been a big statement win for us. It was the first win where we really got hit and really turned to swing back. I got to be better. That one is on my shoulders.”
The last-second loss ruined a huge game by Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored a season-high 46 points. It also ruined an incredible second half by the Knicks, who had been hoping to build on the big win they had in Philadelphia Tuesday night.
The Knicks (5-6) once again fell below .500. The game was the first of an important four-game homestand against teams with sub-.500 records entering Wednesday night’s play. The Knicks play the Nets at Madison Square Garden on both Friday and Sunday before hosting Washington.
They then embark on a five-game Western road trip, which includes tough games against the Nuggets and the Suns.
The Knicks were playing their first back-to-back game of the season and came out looking tired early. Led by Towns the Knicks ripped off a 17-0 run to end the third quarter, making the score 90-85 Chicago after three. It was Hart who gave the Knicks their first lead since the first quarter when he grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup to put the Knicks ahead 97-96.
The fourth quarter was close all the way down to the wire.
After the game, coach Tom Thibodeau told his team that this was the kind of loss that they needed to learn and grow from.
“It hurts,” Mikal Bridges said. “Especially as competitors you want to win all the time. I think the coach helped us talking to us. We learned how to battle back and keep fighting. But honestly, we want to win. It’s tough.”
Towns had 10 rebounds to go with his 46 points. He shot 18-for-30 from the field and 6-for-12 from three-point range.
“With what he is able to do on the court, he makes it look effortless,” Brunson said. “That’s just who he is. It’s great to see him on our team now, but we’ve seen him do this the last 10 years.”
Brunson, who had been questionable to play in the game after spraining his ankle in Philadelphia, said there were a number of mistakes down the stretch. He missed two free throws and said they have to look at what they can fix.
“Obviously, the way the game turned out is not the way we wanted. We have to look at the positives. We can’t look at the negatives. We have to see what we can work on and go from there.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
