Everything Is Back to Being OK for Hart & Knicks. NY 128 Chicago 116

November 4, 2025 LouV 2025-26 0
Jalen Brunson operates on Josh Giddey. Photo courtesy NY Knicks.

For a night at least, the Knicks returned to being the team that was one of the final 3 teams playing basketball in the NBA last year — as they easily beat the Chicago Bulls 128-116 at Madison Square Garden on a Sunday night.

In the 2nd of a back-to-back, NY revenged the 135-125 loss to the Bulls in Chicago on Friday night.

In exacting that revenge, NY jumped out to a 34-24 lead after a quarter, pushed back a Chicago comeback to go up 8 at the half, led by 16 after 3 quarters, and extended the lead to 25 pts midway through the 4th en route to the easy win.

And most importantly: Josh Hart was Josh Hart again — the glue to the Knicks with heady defensive plays and rebounding. What a turnaround as his horrible performance Friday night had caused 2 days worth of talk about whether he would need re-surgery on the index finger of his right hand, which had not recuperated well from surgery in the off season, causing him numbness throughout his right hand. Hart had 14 pts on 5-10 shooting (1-4 from 3) with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in 26 minutes.

Karl-Anthony Towns also had a big comeback game after stinking up the joint Friday night. He was aggressive from the gate, and had 20 pts on 5-11 shooting (2-2 from 3), 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks.

Jalen Brunson led NY with 31 pts on 10-22 shooting (4-11 from 3) — out-doing Chicago’s Josh Giddey who had 23 pts, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists. OG Anunoby was another zephyr for NY with 21 pts on 8-17 shooting (3-7 from 3).

“This is going to be a process. We’re still not where we need to be offensively, but guys are starting to understand how to space the floor,” said Knick coach Mike Brown afterwards.

“It starts with me, I gotta help them,” added Brown. “With Josh coming back; with Mitch coming back. The different things that those guys present in terms of minutes — I didn’t help them a ton the last couple of games. I was all over the map with substitutions. So it was hard for those guys to get a rhythm — because guys are coming in and going out, coming in and going out. So I have to do a better job, and I thought I did tonight, of trying to have a rotation and stick with it, while still playing 9, 9.5, 10 guys.

1. KAT, Brunson & Knicks Come Out on the Attack

Karl-Anthony Towns was coming off a piss-poor game on offense — his worst as a Knick with only 8 points on Friday night vs Chicago. KAT attacked from the get go — scoring inside and out.

And Jalen Brunson too was attacking and popping 3’s — scoring 19 points in the 1st quarter alone as NY raced out to a 34-24 lead.

2. Chicago Takes Lead in 2nd — But NY Reasserts Control

But Chicago came back — Patrick Williams hitting a 3, Josh Giddey driving for a basket, and then Jalen Smith going nuts — a 3, a drive, another 3, and a dunk inside to pull Chicago within 44-43. A Matas Buzelis 3 put Chicago up by 2.

Jordan Clarkson responded with his second 3 of the quarter to put NY back up — but  Nikola Vucevic came back with a 3 to tie it at 49-49. 

The Knicks kept coming — Miles McBride with a 3, and Jordan Clarkson with his third 3 of the quarter. NY 55 Chicago 49 with 5:53 left in the half.

OG Anunoby took over the scoring for NY in the last few minutes of the 2nd quarter, and Josh Hart hit a 3 with 11 seconds left to put NY up by 8 at the half.

3. Hart Is All Hart in 3rd — NY Goes Up by 16

Stefan Bondy of the NY Post wrote a story after Friday night’s loss that Josh Hart was playing with a bad finger on his right hand with a splint on that finger. He injured it in last year’s playoffs and the off-season surgery apparently did not go well. The report suggested he may need re-surgery which would keep him out months. Before the game, James Edwards of the Athletic added to the report: “It’s not just one finger (he’s got nerve damage all throughout his shooting hand). He can lose feeling doing everyday tasks. Re-injury took place this summer during a pickup game.”

But that was the old Josh Hart of Friday and Saturday. On Sunday — Hart was the old (or older than that) Josh Hart. He dominated the game with glue plays all over the court, big rebounds, and hit his J — including the 3 to end the half.

And of course Josh Hart has the ability to score a layup on the break in traffic better than anyone ever — which he did off a rebound and ahead-of-the-field pass from Mikal Bridges to make the score 98-82 NY — the play of the game.

After which we tweeted, “Hart’s hand looks like it is feeling much better.”

“True,” agreed NBA Analyst Ross Kreines. “Josh will never make excuses just like you never have to worry about Josh’s effort, activity and his willingness to flat-out compete while doing all the little things no matter the situation.”

4. NY Pushes Lead to 25 Pts Midway thru 4th

The Knicks 2nd team also made up for a stinkeroo performance on Friday night. Jordan Clarkson at the heart of it but also Landry Shamet shot well and Miles McBride was back from being out for family issues.

Clarkson made the first 2 NY baskets of the 4th, followed by back-to-back 3’s by Landry Shamet and NY opened up a 21-pt lead at 115-94.

KAT continued to dominate in the 4th — taking it to the bucket for a couple of drives sandwiching a Deuce McBride bucket and NY was up by 25 with 7 minutes left.

The Bulls didn’t give up — pulling to within 12 after a Giddey steal and layup with 2 minutes left.

But Brunson iced it with a bucket-and-1 with 1:30 left for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401810008

 

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