Knicks beat Bulls behind season-best offensive effort, snap three-game losing streak in return home – New York Daily News

It didn’t take long for the Knicks’ 3-point barrage to begin.

Less than three minutes into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden, Jalen Brunson made his first 3-pointer of the night.

On the next possession, he made another one.

Karl-Anthony Towns would add two more 3-pointers in the next two minutes and change.

And that was just the beginning.

Returning home after a winless road trip, the Knicks put together the best offensive effort of the season to earn a 128-116 victory over the Chicago Bulls, ending a three-game losing streak.

The Knicks (3-3) made 18 of their first 30 3-point attempts and finished 20 of 42 (47.6 percent) from behind the arc.

Brunson scored 19 of his team’s 31 points in the first quarter and shot 10 of 22, including 4 of 11 from 3-point range, for the game.

Towns added 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Josh Hart – playing with an injured ring finger on his shooting hand – had his best outing of the season with 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

The 128 points marked a season high for the Knicks, who entered Sunday shooting just 34.4 percent from 3-point range.

It was the first defeat of the season for Chicago (5-1), which was the last undefeated team in the Eastern Conference.

Sunday’s game came just two days after the Knicks lost, 135-125, to the Bulls in Chicago to cap an 0-3 road trip.

And while some of the defensive issues that plagued the Knicks in their loss persisted Sunday — the Bulls shot 17 of 40 (42.5%) on 3-pointers — they improved to 3-0 at home.

Before Sunday’s game, head coach Mike Brown stressed the need to stay sharp throughout the 48 minutes as the Knicks try to get more consistency.

The Knicks led 34-24 after the first quarter, in which Brunson shot 6 of 11 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

But the Knicks’ offense stagnated once Brunson left the game, and Chicago caught fire against a lineup featuring Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Jordan Clarkson and Miles McBride.

The Bulls started the second quarter on a 22-10 run with Brunson on the bench — a stretch in which Chicago made eight straight shots, including five 3-pointers, to take a two-point lead.

Five of those baskets came on assists from point guard Josh Giddey, who finished the first half with nine assists.

But that turned out to be the Bulls’ biggest push.

Clarkson, an offseason addition to the Knicks’ retooled bench, scored 11 of his 15 points during that second quarter in what was the best game of his young career with the Knicks.

Hart completed a three-point play late in the second quarter, then made a 3-pointer in the corner with 11 seconds left in the half to give the Knicks a 68-60 lead at the break.

Hart, who told The Athletic he is dealing with a nerve injury in his right hand, entered Sunday averaging just 2.8 points per game on 21.1 percent shooting.

On Sunday, Hart shot 5 of 10 in 26 minutes from the bench, helping a reserve unit that scored 46 points.

In their back-to-back losses to Miami, Milwaukee and Chicago, the Knicks have given up 123.7 points per game and have been outscored by at least eight points over the three nights.

After lighting up the Knicks with 32 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists on Friday, Giddey had a triple-double on Sunday with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.

But it wasn’t enough this time to beat a more balanced Knicks team, which made 22 of 22 from the free throw line and got at least eight points from eight different players.

Sunday kicked off a seven-game home season for the Knicks, who are scheduled to host the Washington Wizards on Monday night in the rematch of their first back-to-back of the season.