After 21 years at our Binghamton mansion, we’re moving. That means Mrs. Russell has countless extra chores for your intrepid blogger, including the retrieval of a loveseat in a sketchy neighborhood just before tip-off of tonight’s game between the Knicks (4-4) and the Bulls (1-7). Planning to watch the game after delivering the furniture to the new mansion (we are fabulously wealthy), I tried to ignore the alerts blowing up my phone. An impossible task. My eye caught “Jalen Brunson is on track to score
76 points” and “84 ties a franchise first-half record,” and all the surprise of tonight’s blowout was spoiled.
What did I see when I finally returned home? Brunson blazin’, OG Anunoby gorging at the free-throw line, KAT recording his eighth straight double-double, a very promising Dalton Knecht debut (10 PTS, 7 RBS, 16 MIN), solid minutes from Diawara, and a 44-point lead with 43% shooting from deep. We’ll need to burn sage around that loveseat to rid the stench of resentment. Final score: 135-105.
Landry Shamet started in place of Josh Hart (sore ankle) and scored the team’s first four points. From there, the Knicks went straight into high gear, turning a 6-6 tie into a 17-8 lead by attacking the paint and shooting with stunning efficiency. Who was the commander of the first-quarter onslaught? Captain Jalen Brunson, scoring his first 14 points on seven shots and finishing the frame with 22. That wasn’t his highest first-quarter total—he dropped 23 on Milwaukee in January 2025. Nonetheless, stunning. Cap had all but six of the Knicks’ first 19 points. Not to be kept in the corner, OG Anunoby contributed seven, including four from the stripe.
Mohamed Diawara checked in around the middle of the quarter, and this time he looked good! The rookie delivered some of his best minutes yet this season, with a three and a block on Wilson’s layup. Fellow bench buddy Jordan Clarkson added five points, including a sweet transition three (dimed by Brunson). In a flash, the lead reached 22. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed just two points, starting slowly for his second straight game, but he helped in other ways, notching four boards, a steal, and an assist.
What’s your camp: “I Stand with Mikal” or “Mikal’s Got Me Sweating”? The struggling wing did little in the first quarter to calm our nerves about his recent play. He scored no points but dished two dimes and grabbed two boards.
For Chicago, Normal Norman Powell managed four points, while Tre Jones added four off the bench. Chicago got little from its young players, though. Rookie Caleb Wilson must’ve been star-struck in his MSG debut, missing all four of his shots, and Matas Bazookas went scoreless. At the break, the Knicks were sitting on a comfortable 43-21.
Q2: More of the same. Our heroes outscored Chicago 10-5 over the first three minutes to extend their lead to 53-26. The unrelenting Anunoby was still in beast mode, scoring six points and forcing two Josh Giddey turnovers. New York’s 3&D specialist scored 11 points in the quarter to reach 18 by halftime, while his three steals helped keep Chicago twitching and glitching.
With Brunson resting, Tyler Kolek ran the offense effectively, collecting four assists with sweet setups for Bridges, Clarkson, and Shamet. What a wonderful security blanket a skilled playmaker off the bench is. With Kolek dishing, Bridges racked up seven points. Diawara got into the action, too, scoring his first points of the season and finishing with seven first-half points.
Chicago managed a paltry little run early in the period, but New York responded with a 9-4 run that pushed its lead to 62-36—and eventually 78-41 with 1:47 left. Brunson added four points after returning, reaching 26 by halftime, while Towns remained quiet, adding just three more points in the second. You can count on KAT to crash the glass, though, and he did so for two more rebounds, giving him six at halftime. And newest ’Bocker Dalton Knecht made a fine first impression with a putback dunk and a step-back three-pointer for five points.
Chicago’s Josh Giddey had a particularly rough quarter, committing three turnovers in the opening three minutes, although he recovered to finish the half with seven points and four assists. Buzelis finally got going late, scoring all six of his first-half points in the final 1:06, including a three-pointer with six seconds remaining. Yee-awn. Wilson managed five points in the quarter, while Powell added just two, and Chicago found itself bereft of consistent scoring threats or prayers for winning this contest. Halftime score: 84-52. That tied New York’s franchise record for first-half points.
The Knicks had scorched the nets with 63% shooting from the floor and 50% from deep. The Bulls had shot 40% and a grotesque 19% from deep (5-of-26). The good guys also won the rebounding battle, 23-17, despite surrendering eight offensive rebounds, and committed just five turnovers to Chicago’s eight. Weirdly, the Bulls actually outscored the Knicks in the paint, 30-26, and attempted 13 more shots, yet trailed by 32 at halftime. Math was not my strong subject, but that doesn’t compute. Anyhoo, on to the second half!
Yet again, KAT pepped it up at halftime and came out firing. He drilled consecutive three-pointers in the opening minute as the home team goosed its lead to 36. Towns scored 12 points in the first five minutes of the quarter, including a putback layup, and reached another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds before heading to the bench.
Brunson added seven points, including a pull-up three, to reach 33 and call it a night.
The Bulls continued to fumble and bumble. Wilson missed his first three shots of the quarter and committed another turnover. Boozelis scored six points in the period, but the Bulls couldn’t make much headway against New York’s enormous lead. Meanwhile, Deuce McBride provided a spark off the Knicks’ bench, picking off passes from Norman Powell and Wilson before hitting a transition three-pointer that extended New York’s lead to 42. McBride later converted a four-point play, giving him seven points in the quarter, while Mohamed Diawara contributed another blocked shot and continued to provide promising minutes on both ends. Brother, imagine if the Knicks could play Chicago every night. . . .
Tre Jones was Chicago’s most productive player late in the quarter, scoring eight points over the final 2:19, including a three-pointer and three free throws. His unit closed the period on a 12-2 run (the Knicks got a little sloppy), but New York still ended the quarter up 113-79.
Hey! Check out this Knecht kid, blocking Buddy Hield’s layup attempt in the closing seconds. It’s gonna be fun to watch him go on heaters in Westchester.
With the Knicks leading by 34 entering the fourth, the reserves got the run of the joint. Andre Drummond opened the quarter with an alley-oop, while Clarkson and Knecht knocked down threes. James Wiseman made the most of his 10 minutes, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds, and three blocks, including rejections of Giddey, Bewzelis, and Patrick Williams. More of that, please! Pacôme Dadiet added four points. The Bulls briefly cut the deficit to 32, but Wiseman answered with a putback dunk and Knecht followed with a jumper. New York’s offense slowed with the end-of-bench guys on the floor, and Chicago won the quarter 26-22, but who’s complaining?
Up Next
Mo’s knitting a cozy recap to keep you warm. New York travels to Cleveland for a clash with the Cavs. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
