CHICAGO — OG Anunoby’s stellar record with the Knicks took a hit after a controversial ejection and disappointing Knicks performance in Chi-Town.
The defensive Swiss Army knife returned to the starting lineup, but couldn’t stop the Bulls from jumping out to a big early lead, winning 108-100.
A day after Julius Randle was ruled out of the season, Jalen Brunson once again had little help on offense as Josh Hart was quickly ruled out by referee Scott Foster.
Hart was thrown in for a flagrant-two foul with 34.1 seconds left in the first quarter.
The forward was stripped on the drive, and in the air Hart’s flapping foot kicked Javonte Green in the side of the head.
Mr. Foster, accustomed to controversy and quick triggers, initially taught Mr. Hart the technicalities.
He changed it to Flagrant 2 and automatically ejected it after review.
Hart, in cold shock, protested to Foster before retreating to the locker room after his shortest appearance (11 minutes) since he was ejected in the first quarter against the Clippers on Dec. 16.
Replays showed no clear indication that Hart’s kick was intentional.
Rather, it appears that Hart was trying to maintain balance and Boots was careless.
It was a close call at best, and it was a blow for the Knicks.
McBride, who started the second half as a substitute, played well, but the Knicks narrowed their 18-point deficit to four points in the second half and ran out of steam.
Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic made the biggest shot of the night, a 3-pointer with about 90 seconds left, giving the Bulls an eight-point lead. It was a wasted night for Brunson, who had 35 points and 11 assists in 41 minutes.
The Knicks lost the rebound 57-38.
They were playing on the second night of a back-to-back and their energy matched the occasion.
The loss was the fourth in five games for the Knicks (45-32), who remain fifth in the East but only 1.5 games behind the sixth-place Pacers (who beat the Thunder on Friday).
The No. 4 Magic, who hold the tiebreaker with the Knicks, suffered a shocking loss to the Hornets on Friday.
It’s really a cluster, and the Knicks don’t separate themselves.
In the game against Anunoby, they lost 15-3, but Anunoby played well, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 29 minutes.
“Typically when you get to the last 10 games of the season, everyone’s playing for something,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “The intensity is increasing.”
Green fell to the court after Hart’s kick but was unharmed and finished with 25 points off the bench.
While the Bulls had the advantage in the first half, he also completed a double pump reverse dunk in the second quarter.
Anunoby, playing for the first time in nine games due to a “flare-up” of his surgically repaired elbow, started alongside Hart at forward, leaving McBride out of the starting lineup.
It didn’t get off to a good start.
The Knicks trailed by 12 points after eight minutes and never really recovered.
Friday was the first of three games against the Bulls in the final 10 days of the season.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the Knicks’ playoff seeding will be determined by how well they play against Chicago.
The next matchup will be Tuesday at the United Center, following a day trip to Milwaukee for Sunday’s game.
In other words, the Knicks will spend five nights in Chicago, an unusually long stay on the NBA schedule.
“I think probably the most important thing for both teams is the familiarity,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “We’re going to come back and play against each other again. There’s familiarity, at least from a preparation standpoint, and I think that will help both teams prepare to play.”
