Knicks tie franchise first-half record in 135-105 rout of Bulls, climb back to .500
Jalen Brunson scored 22 of his 33 in the first quarter as the Knicks put up 84 by halftime, routed Chicago and reached .500 ahead of a trip to Cleveland.
The New York Knicks reached .500 for the first time this season on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, and they did it by burying the Chicago Bulls early. New York led 84-52 at halftime, which tied the franchise record for points in a first half, and cruised to a 135-105 win. The defending champions are now 4-4 after an 0-3 start.
Jalen Brunson set the tone right away. According to Posting and Toasting, the SB Nation Knicks site, the captain scored his first 14 points on seven shots and had 22 by the end of the first quarter. He accounted for all but six of New York's first 19 points. Field Level Media noted that the 84-point half matched a mark the Knicks first set in a 137-135 loss to Philadelphia in November 1988. Brunson finished with 33 and sat out the fourth quarter.
The lead was 43-21 after one quarter and never dropped below 30 after Karl-Anthony Towns made three free throws late in the second. OG Anunoby added 18 points, three first-half steals and 11 made free throws, which tied his career high. Towns started slowly again but opened the third with back-to-back threes and finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Miles McBride's four-point play in the third made it 111-67, New York's biggest lead of the night.
The bench gave the night some substance beyond the score. Jordan Clarkson and newcomer Dalton Knecht scored 10 apiece. Tyler Kolek ran the second unit while Brunson rested, and Mohamed Diawara scored his first points of the season and added a pair of blocks. James Wiseman had eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks in about 10 minutes of garbage time. Landry Shamet started in place of Josh Hart, who sat with a sore ankle. Mikal Bridges, who has struggled lately, went scoreless in the first quarter before getting going in the second with Kolek setting him up.
New York shot 50.6% from the floor and made 17 of 40 threes. Chicago held the Bulls' paint scoring edge at the half but made just 5 of 26 threes before the break. Tre Jones and Jaylin Sellers led the Bulls with 14 points each. Chicago has dropped seven of its first eight games, including the last six.
What it means for Cleveland
The Knicks go to Cleveland on Saturday, November 7 (NBA TV), having won four of their last five. That stretch includes two wins over Chicago, 133-127 on the road and Wednesday's rout, along with a 103-90 win over Brooklyn and a 111-97 win over Detroit. The one loss in that run came on the road, 98-93 at Philadelphia. Away from the Garden they are 1-3 this season, and two of those road losses, at Boston and Philadelphia, were by five points or fewer. The Cavaliers will be a much tougher test than a Bulls team in free fall.
The main question before tipoff is Hart's ankle. Neither outlet reported a timeline. Shamet filled in without trouble on Wednesday, but Hart's rebounding and defense matter more against Cleveland's size. Brunson's early burst and the bench's production give New York some reason for confidence. Its first real chance to prove the turnaround is real on the road comes at the Cavaliers. Follow the season on the Knicks team page.
