Bulls bury Knicks with deadly 3-point shooting and win by 13

Brunson and Towns combine for 77 points in losing effort

The Bulls connected on seven of eight shots behind the arc in the third period, turning a nine-point halftime deficit into a 104-89 lead at the end of the quarter and cruised to a 139-126 win over the Knicks Saturday night in Chicago on the night they honored Derek Rose. It was the Knicks’ second consecutive loss for only the second time this season.

The Knicks got off to a hot start, hitting their first five shots, including two from behind the arc. After watching them consistently get off to slow starts, it was nice to see the early surge, especially coming in the second game of back-to-back road tilts.

Jalen Brunson helped get the Knicks off to a strong start, as he had 12 points and four assists in the opening 12 minutes.

By halftime, the Knicks scored 72 points and were up by nine. Brunson ha 26 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

But the Bulls held the Rose tribute at the half and it was an exceptionally long break. And Chicago came out and dominated in the third period, shooting incredibly and beating the Knicks to every loose ball. The Bulls scored 41 points in the quarter and were in complete control.

Towns tried his best to get the Knicks back in the game in the final period. He had 25 points in the final quarter, before knocking knees with another player and coming out for the final 90 seconds.

The rally ended when a 3-point basket by Landry Shamet was waved off, because Cameron Payne stumbled and knocked into a player and was called for a foul. On Chicago’s ensuing possession, Zach Lavine was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer and he converted all three of the shots from the line. Instead of a five-point deficit, the Knicks were down by 11.

Towns finished with 44 points and 16 rebounds, while Brunson had 33 points and eight assists. On most nights, scoring 126 points would result in a win. But the 139 points allowed by New York was a season-high.

The Bulls shot 54.1% from behind the arc, making 20 of them. Chicago is a high-volume 3-point shooting squad and in this game, they shot them with great accuracy. The Bulls also converted 17-18 from the line.

The Knicks return home Monday night, as they host the Magic and try to get a new win streak started.