The ultimate push to the playoffs went from worrisome to worse for the Chicago Bulls once they misplaced 109-104 Monday’s in a must-win recreation in opposition to the New York Knicks.
The Knicks are eleventh within the Japanese Convention and 4½ video games again from making the play-in event, providing one of many few assured wins — or so it appeared — of the Bulls’ remaining eight-game stretch of the common season. The journey to New York ought to have been a key second for the Bulls to barricade themselves additional into the fifth seed within the Japanese Convention.
DeMar DeRozan tried his greatest to finish certainly one of his authoritative fourth-quarter stands, however even his 15 factors within the interval weren’t sufficient to tug the Bulls again in entrance. DeRozan missed his first try at a game-tying basket, then picked up an offensive foul in his remaining likelihood of the sport.
The Bulls appeared poised to run away within the first half, however errors stilted their manufacturing. Regardless of a haphazard capturing night time for the Knicks, the Bulls’ incapacity to guard the ball — stepping out of bounds with out contact, fouling 3-point shooters, fumbling passes into the backcourt — continued to present their opponent with alternatives.
“We went chilly and had some missed pictures and missed alternatives and turnovers, after which they made a run and acquired again within the recreation,” coach Billy Donovan mentioned. “We’ve acquired to have the ability to transfer previous that sort of stuff from a aggressive, emotional standpoint.”
The Bulls turned the ball over eight instances within the first half, racking up a complete of 12 turnovers whereas managing solely 16 assists. Alex Caruso fouled out within the remaining two minutes of the sport, highlighting a high-fouling night time of frustration for the Bulls.
Alec Burks hit 5 3-pointers to guide the Knicks with 27 factors, however the workforce’s stars struggled with capturing accuracy. Julius Randle shot 1-for-9 and Evan Fournier went 2-for-10 on the night time. The Knicks shot solely 42.7% from the sphere and went 21-for-35 from the free-throw line. However the Bulls balanced this disparate capturing with blunders that allowed the Knicks leeway to retain a small lead.
The loss got here proper off the heels of a galvanizing win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, which afforded the Bulls a small quantity of respiratory room as they cling to the fifth spot within the East.
The loss set the Bulls again to the place they have been after the Toronto Raptors and the Cavaliers each gained their video games Monday, narrowing the margin within the East.
The loss deepened a 5-10 skid for the reason that All-Star break because the Bulls flounder regardless of a powerful begin to the season. It additionally continued a worsening sample of losses on the highway for the Bulls, who misplaced 9 of their final 10 video games away from the United Middle.
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