Knicks stunned by Bulls in gut-wrenching loss to spoil RJ Barrett’s explosion

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, chants of “RJ Barrett” filled the sold-out Garden whenever the Knicks star stepped to the line for free throws. 

And yet, despite a monster game from Barrett, in which he dropped 44 points on the Bulls, the Knicks had been unable to pull away from Chicago all night. That, along with some brutal free-throw shooting, came back to haunt them. 

By the end of the game, the overarching sound was that of stunned silence as DeMar DeRozan nailed a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to lift the Bulls to a 118-117 win over the Knicks on Friday night. 

One of the best games of Barrett’s career went for naught. With the Knicks clinging on to a one-point lead in the final minute, Barrett drove to the net once more and got off a tough shot that sank to make it a 117-114 lead with 29.4 seconds left. 

DeMar DeRozan hits the game-winning shot. NBAE via Getty Images The Bulls celebrate during their win over the Knicks. NBAE via Getty Images

The Bulls then missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, but the Knicks could not corral the rebound and Zach LaVine took advantage with a bucket that made it 117-116 with 7.1 seconds left. 

Jalen Brunson had a chance to extend the Knicks’ lead with 6.4 seconds left but missed a pair of free throws — a minute after Quentin Grimes also had missed twice from the line. The Knicks finished the night 15-for-26 from the charity stripe. 

RJ Barrett dunks during the Knicks’ win over the Bulls. USA TODAY Sports

The Bulls called timeout with six seconds left and drew up a play for DeRozan, who rose up over Grimes near the foul line and sank the dagger to send the Knicks to their second straight loss after an eight-game winning streak. 

Barrett surpassed his previous season-high in points (30) early in the third quarter and then added some power and flair two possessions later when he made a strong drive to the rim and dunked over 6-foot-10 center Nikola Vucevic. DeRozan fouled Barrett on the play, and his ensuing free throw gave the Knicks a 77-73 lead. 

With Barrett on the bench for the final 4:55 of the third quarter, the Knicks used a 7-0 run to get some more breathing room before the Bulls answered again to get within 92-89 headed into the fourth quarter. 

Julius Randle dribbles during the Knicks’ win over the Bulls. Paul J. Bereswill Immanuel Quickley celebrates as he continued his strong play. NBAE via Getty Images

Barrett had caught fire in the first half and dropped 26 points by halftime on 9-for-13 shooting. He was assertive with his drives to the rim and also provided a spark by going a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. The 26 points were four shy of his season-high for an entire game, which he had done twice, including Wednesday. 

The Knicks opened the game by taking a 15-12 lead before the Bulls reeled off an 8-0 run. LaVine scored his first five points of the game during that run and then scored seven more before the quarter was over, helping the Bulls stake out a 29-22 advantage after one. 

But Barrett began to heat up early in the second quarter, at one point scoring eight straight Knicks points to get them back in the game. Back-to-back buckets from Immanuel Quickley later opened a 41-37 lead for the Knicks before the Bulls came back with a 12-3 run keyed by former Nets guard Goran Dragic. 

The Knicks nearly matched that to end the first half, though, with two 3s from Barrett and one apiece from Julius Randle and Grimes closing out a 12-4 run to take a 60-58 lead into halftime.