Knicks Bury Bulls With 20-1 Start in 136-96 Rout at MSG

OG Anunoby scored 31 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including a career-high-tying 7-of-10 from three-point range, and the New York Knicks routed the Chicago Bulls 136-96 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Mitchell Robinson went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field for 17 points and 11 rebounds while starting in place of Karl-Anthony Towns (right elbow impingement), and Jalen Brunson added 17 points and 10 assists in his return to the lineup. The win gave New York (50-28) its third consecutive 50-win season — a feat the franchise had not accomplished since 1991-92 through 1993-94. Collin Sexton scored 19 off the bench on 5-of-7 from three for Chicago. The Bulls fall to 29-48 with their sixth straight loss and have now dropped 10 of their last 12.

A 20-1 Start Left Chicago With No Chance

This game was functionally over within the first five minutes. The Knicks opened on an 18-0 run before Sexton's three cut it to 20-4 with 5:25 left in the first quarter. Chicago missed 10 shots and committed 5 turnovers during that stretch. The first quarter ended 38-16. The second quarter was worse — New York outscored the Bulls 40-25, extending the lead to 78-41 at halftime. Anunoby had two threes in the first quarter, three in the second, and two more in the third, spreading them evenly across three quarters of damage. The Knicks rested all five starters for the entire fourth quarter. New York shot 52.7 percent from the field and 89.3 percent from the free throw line while forcing 16 Chicago turnovers that turned into 28 points.

Giddey Returns to Rough Night; Buzelis Hurt

Josh Giddey, who sat out Wednesday's loss to Indiana with left hamstring tightness, returned as a starter but was largely ineffective — 3-of-12 from the field, 0-of-4 from three, 0-of-2 from the line, 6 points, 5 assists, 4 turnovers, and a game-worst -32 in 26 minutes. Whether he should have been playing at all in a meaningless game with a recurring hamstring issue is a fair question. Matas Buzelis hurt his leg during the first half and returned to the bench wearing a wrap, but was sent back out and played 23 minutes, finishing with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 turnovers. Neither decision made much sense with five games left in a lost season.

Sexton was the one bright spot — 19 points on 6-of-12 (5-of-7 from three), with four of those threes coming in the first half when the game still had some competitive pulse. Tre Jones added 13 points on 4-of-5 with 8 assists and just 1 turnover in 30 minutes off the bench, continuing his recent hot stretch. Leonard Miller chipped in 14 on 5-of-8 (2-of-3 from three) with 6 rebounds. Chicago also shot a miserable 57.7 percent from the free throw line (15-of-26).

Looking Ahead

The Bulls are 29-48 and have now lost six straight and seven consecutive road games. Five of the six losses on this skid have come by 18 or more points — at Philadelphia (157-137), at Oklahoma City (131-113), at San Antonio (129-114), at home against Indiana (145-126), and now at New York. With five games remaining and the season ending April 12, Chicago hosts Phoenix on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CT before traveling to Washington for back-to-back games next week.