The Garden was loud by the end of the first quarter and never really quieted down. Brunson had already dropped 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 4-of-5 from three, and the scoreboard read 43-21. By halftime it was 84-52, with New York matching the most points they have ever scored in a half, a franchise mark set on 18 November 1988 in a 137-135 loss in Philadelphia.
This time the lead only grew. The Knicks pushed it past 40 in the third quarter, and when the final buzzer sounded at 135-105, Chicago had slumped to a sixth straight defeat.
Brunson finished with 33 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 5-of-10 from three and 8-of-9 at the line, adding four assists in 28 minutes. It was his second 30-point game of a season that started 2-4 and has now evened out at 4-4.
Brown: “pop and quickness” finally there
Head coach Mike Brown, hired in the summer of 2025, has spent the early weeks of the campaign trying to install a quicker, better-spaced offense than the half-court grind the Knicks were known for. On Wednesday, he saw it click.
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Brown called it New York’s best performance so far in terms of “seeing our pop and our quickness from point A to point B,” telling reporters the system he has been drilling finally produced the look he wanted. The Knicks shot 62.5 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three in the first half.
Knecht’s first touch is a putback dunk
The night also doubled as a debut. Dalton Knecht, the former Tennessee guard whom the Los Angeles Lakers waived on 19 October after failing to trade him, had signed a two-way deal with New York a fortnight ago. Less than a minute into his first appearance in the uniform, he chased down a Landry Shamet miss and hammered home a putback dunk.
Knecht finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds, an assist and a block in 16 minutes.
“I wasn’t surprised, I just came in ready to go,” Knecht told Yahoo Sports. “The coaches said you’re active so that just means be ready.”
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On the opening-minute slam he was more amused than awestruck: “Honestly I didn’t hear much just because I’m so locked in, but it was good. Pretty much my first play was a putback dunk so it’s cool, it’s great.”
Towns and Anunoby fill in the picture
Karl-Anthony Towns was a quiet 17 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, 2-of-2 from three, and he grabbed 12 rebounds in 25 minutes. OG Anunoby added 18, including a run of threes and free throws that kept the second quarter rolling after Brunson sat down.
For Chicago, Tre Jones led the way with 14 points. The Bulls are now 1-7. New York is back on the floor on Saturday night at Cleveland.
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