It was an all-too-familiar scenario on Sunday in New York's Madison Square Garden. The Chicago Bulls played their way into another clutch-game scenario, meaning a game with a five-point or less lead in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. Coby White scored a go-ahead layup with 1:19 left on the clock to put the Bulls up 109-107 on the New York Knicks.
Jalen Brunson immediately responded in the Knicks' following offensive possession with a pull-up jumper that tied the game at 109 with 1:01 to play. The final minute of regulation resulted in one New York turnover, one Knicks missed shot attempt, and two Bulls missed shot attempts, sending the game into overtime.
A Competitive Overtime in Madison Square Garden
The Bulls started the overtime period with an Alex Caruso three-point make at the 4:02 minute mark. What looked like Bulls' momentum quickly shifted to a Knicks' lead courtesy of Brunson's pair of free-throw makes and Donte DiVincenzo's three-point conversion to make it 114-112.
The Knicks never surrendered the lead despite committing four turnovers after DiVincenzo's go-ahead three-pointer. Caruso, Coby White, and DeMar DeRozan combined for the Bulls' seven final points to shrink the Knicks' lead to one. The Bulls' final offensive possession generated a DeRozan floating two-point shot miss with three seconds remaining. Brunson cleared the rebound to ice New York's victory.
Knicks' Recipe for Success
Monster offensive performances from Brunson (40 points) and DiVincenzo (25 points) propelled the Knicks to a clutch-game victory of their own. DiVincenzo had the hot hand for the Knicks in the first quarter, scoring 10 points.
The Knicks created a strong advantage against the Bulls via second-chance points, outscoring Chicago 32-9 on such opportunities. The Bulls also did a solid favor for the Knicks by shooting 8-26 (31%) from the field during the second quarter.
Bulls Starters Stuff the Stat Sheet
If there was any bright side to this game for the Bulls, all five starters made big impacts in their minutes and scored in double figures.
What's On Tap Next?
After Sunday's regular-season finale, the Bulls finished with a 39-43 record. They'll be back in action Wednesday when they host the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
If the Bulls defeat the Hawks, they'll take on the loser of the Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers matchup, which precedes Chicago's play-in game. Wednesday's tip-off is at 8:30 PM CT and the game will air nationally on ESPN.
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