Knicks fall to Bulls, 135-125, go 0-3 on road trip
CHICAGO — On paper, the Knicks are the better team.
They have two perennial All-Stars to none on the Bulls, a pair of three-and-D wings that would fit any roster, a monster defensive anchor, the league’s most productive bench scorer over the past five seasons and at least three others who could start or close games for playoff contenders.
If you simulated it in NBA 2K26, New York would probably win 90 times out of 100.
But basketball is not played on paper and video games do not count in the standings.
The Knicks had to win it on the hardwood, in real time, against a red-hot Chicago team that entered Friday undefeated at 4-0.
They didn’t do it.
At full strength for the first time since the preseason opened, the Knicks fell flat in a 135-125 loss on Halloween — their third straight defeat to cap a debut road trip that went from disappointing to alarming.
First there was the fall in Miami. Then the collapse of Milwaukee. And now a blowout in Chicago against a New York team should outperform in every measurable category.
Yet this is the reality of life under Mike Brown: a new era that was always going to get off to a bumpy start. His complete overhaul of the offense and defense – coupled with injuries to key players – guaranteed some growing pains. But few people expected them to look so raw.
There is nothing uglier than what happened at the United Center. The Knicks gave up 35 points in the first quarter and 37 in the second, with only a buzzer-beating three from Mikal Bridges keeping them from trailing by more than 20 at halftime.
They couldn’t stop anyone, their defensive effort was no more solid than the new subway turnstiles back home: still easy to get through.
“I worry about us more than our opponents, and I think if you become elite at what you do and if you believe in what you do, you can do it at the highest level,” Brown preached before tipoff. “So for us, it’s more about us. We can combat anyone’s transition if we take care of the ball and apply our rules the right way, no matter if we play fast or slow. We want to try to play fast. We’re not playing as fast as I’d like right now, but I don’t want to adjust every time I see an opponent. We want people to adjust to us.”
Instead, the Knicks adapted to everyone but themselves.
They turned the ball over early and often. They lost Bulls center Nikola Vucevic from beyond the arc — he made four threes on eight attempts — and they had no answers for point guard Josh Giddey, who split them for a career-high 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Chicago’s bench had 50 points to New York’s 21, led by 22 from Ayo Dosunmu on 8-of-10 shooting.
And once again, the Knicks offense has abandoned its old habits — a heavy dose of Brunson Ball with a side of everyone else figuring it out.
Jalen Brunson finished with 29 points on 12-of-25 shooting. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added more than 20. Yet the Knicks still managed to lose by scoring 125 points – a number that should have been enough to win comfortably.
Mitchell Robinson’s return to the starting lineup brought no defensive salvation. The Bulls were able to find their way in the paint, on the glass and beyond the arc.
There’s a silver lining: The Knicks don’t leave home for two weeks. Their next seven games will take place at Madison Square Garden, starting with a rematch against the same Bulls who just knocked them off the floor.
But the scary truth of Halloween night? New York’s problems go much deeper than travel fatigue or terrain comfort.
This team has work to do – and after five games, they’re already running out of excuses.
