So Close, Yet So Far: Bulls' Nine-Game Skid Continues After Gut-Punch Loss to Knicks

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds for his NBA-leading 39th double-double of the season, and the New York Knicks outlasted the Chicago Bulls 105-99 on Sunday night at the United Center. Jalen Brunson added 19 points and nine assists, Landry Shamet came off the bench for 16 points, and New York improved to 37-21 with its second consecutive win. The Knicks shot 44.7% from the floor despite playing without center Mitchell Robinson, who sat out for left ankle injury management.

Chicago fell to 24-34 with its ninth consecutive loss — its longest skid since a 10-game slide in January 2019. The Bulls played without both Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons, the two guards acquired at the trade deadline, leaving them shorthanded in the backcourt once again. Matas Buzelis led Chicago with 15 points, Jalen Smith added 12 before leaving in the third quarter with right calf tightness, Isaac Okoro finished with 12, and Guerschon Yabusele contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds. The most gutting moment came with 3:52 left in regulation — Buzelis' three-pointer gave Chicago a 95-94 lead, the closest the Bulls had been to stealing one in weeks. Towns answered immediately, scoring six straight points on a three-pointer, a layup, and a free throw to put New York back in front for good. Mikal Bridges then buried a three with 27 seconds remaining, and Brunson sealed it from the line.

A Third-Quarter Surge and a Fourth-Quarter Escape

For a half, Chicago looked competitive enough to snap the streak. The Bulls outscored New York 27-25 in the first quarter and held a 53-52 lead at halftime, the kind of encouraging start this roster has needed more often than it has gotten lately. The building had some life. But the third quarter told a familiar story — New York opened a 13-point advantage on a 21-10 run, stretching to an 83-78 edge heading into the fourth. Towns and Brunson both got going in that stretch, and Chicago's defense couldn't contain New York's cutting and ball movement through the paint. The Knicks led for 60% of the contest and built a largest lead of 13 points.

What made Sunday different, and what will sting for some time, is how close the Bulls came. Chicago clawed back in the fourth quarter, and Buzelis' three-pointer with under four minutes to play put the Bulls in front at 95-94 — their first lead since early in the game. For a moment, it looked like the streak might finally end. But Towns, who had been the best player on the floor for most of the night, wouldn't allow it. He answered with six consecutive Knicks points, and by the time Bridges added his three, the door was closed. The Bulls scored just five points over the final 3:52 and managed only 21 points in the fourth quarter overall, converting just 12 points off New York's 13 turnovers for the game — while the Knicks generated 21 points off Chicago's 17.

Bright Spots in the Margins, but Not Enough When It Counted

The team stats tell a story of competitive balance — both teams grabbed 50 rebounds, the points in the paint were dead even at 32 apiece, and Chicago actually outscored New York 16-14 in fast break points. In a vacuum, those are encouraging numbers for a roster still learning how to play together. But the turnovers were the difference. Chicago's 17 giveaways led to 21 New York points while the Bulls converted just 12 off the Knicks' 13 — a nine-point swing that swallowed the game. Jalen Smith's early exit with right calf tightness in the third quarter didn't help, either. The 25-year-old had been efficient in his 18 minutes, finishing 5-of-11 from the field for 12 points, but his departure forced the Bulls to adjust their rotation at the worst possible time — in the quarter when New York was already pulling away.

There were genuine bright spots among the newer pieces of this roster, and they deserve to be noted. Rob Dillingham, the 21-year-old guard acquired from Minnesota at the deadline, was a plus-9 in 24 minutes — the best plus-minus on the team — and finished with eight points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals while shooting 3-of-7 from the field. He showed again why the front office was excited about him when the trade was made. Patrick Williams was similarly effective, posting eight assists to go with 10 points in 28 minutes and finishing plus-6. Williams has quietly settled into the role of connector in this offense, and his playmaking from the wing has been one of the more pleasant surprises of the post-deadline stretch. Collin Sexton, the other deadline acquisition who did suit up Sunday, provided eight points off the bench in 12 minutes and finished plus-1. Tre Jones continued his steady work — eight points, three assists, one turnover — and Nick Richards contributed nine points and a game-high 13 offensive rebounds from the bench, including five on the offensive glass, giving Chicago extra possessions it ultimately couldn't convert. Yabusele was everywhere the Bulls needed him: 11 points, 13 rebounds, and a well-rounded defensive presence in 30 minutes, offering the kind of versatile effort that made the Dalen Terry trade feel worthwhile the moment he arrived. The problem was at the top of the lineup — Giddey managed only six points on 2-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes, and with Buzelis going 4-of-12 and Okoro and Smith combining for just nine field goal attempts, no one stepped up to be that consistent second scoring option when Towns was deciding the game late.

Looking Ahead

The Bulls remain home Tuesday night to face the Charlotte Hornets at the United Center at 7:00 p.m. CT. Charlotte is one of the most beatable opponents remaining on Chicago's schedule, and a win would not only snap the nine-game skid but potentially provide some genuine momentum heading toward the finish line. The status of Jalen Smith — who left with right calf tightness — will be worth monitoring before Tuesday's tip-off. The Bulls also continue to await the return of Ivey and Simons from injury; getting either of them healthy would provide a meaningful backcourt boost at a time when the bench depth behind Jones and Dillingham is stretched thin. Sunday's game will sting for a while — the Bulls were close enough to touch a win and couldn't finish it. The Buzelis three that briefly put Chicago in front was a genuine moment, but the turnovers and late-game execution continue to be the story, and until those improve, the wins are going to be hard to come by.

New York heads to Cleveland on Tuesday night for a 6:30 p.m. CT tip on Peacock to face the Cavaliers. The Knicks, who won back-to-back games this weekend after their own recent skid, are riding Towns' historic double-double pace — 39 on the season — and Brunson's continued ability to manufacture points in the fourth quarter regardless of his shooting line. Their ability to escape Chicago despite Brunson shooting just 7-of-19 from the field is a testament to how much Towns has elevated this roster, and to how dangerous they are even on an off night from their primary ball-handler. For the Bulls, Sunday was another game that could have been stolen and wasn't — which may be the most honest description of this entire losing streak.