3 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls' overtime loss vs. New York Knicks

The Bulls are 3-11 in clutch games this season.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls found themselves in another crunchtime slugfest against the New York Knicks, which they ultimately lost in overtime, 128-120. While the loss dropped the Bulls to 11-16 for the season, what's even more troubling is their 3-11 record in "clutch" situations—games that are within five points in the last five minutes. 

Crunchtime woes

As their 3-11 record suggests, the Bulls have been unable to finish off tight games, and it is costing them dearly this season. 

Trailing by four, 113-117, with under a minute to go in regulation, Chicago battled back and tied the game with a fastbreak layup by DeMar DeRozan. However, the Bulls couldn't buy a basket in overtime. 

After DeRozan scored on a short jumper with 3:51 left to knot the score at 119-all, the Knicks scored nine in a row to put the game out of reach. In all, the Bulls scored just three points in overtime.

Patrick Williams is earning his keep

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan's plans to start Javonte Green once he recovers from a knee injury has been shelved, thanks in large part to the play of young forward Patrick Williams

"I think Patrick's played well, I think the group's played well while Javonte was out. I just decided to go with it. We'll have to see how it is going forward," Chicago's head coach said.

Donovan rode with Williams in the fourth quarter and overtime, playing him in 40 minutes of the 53-minute contest. Williams came up with two huge plays in regulation to help the Bulls send the game to overtime. He first blocked Julius Randle's layup attempt that led to DeRozan's game-tying bucket. And then, on the Knicks' next possession, he forced Randle into missing the potential game-winning jumper.

Knicks' "Big Three" comes up big

The Knicks' "Big Three" made the United Center their playground, combining for 83 points. Randle nearly had a triple-double of 31 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, while Jalen Brunson, who was questionable to play due to a foot contusion, added 30 points and seven assists. Meanwhile, RJ Barrett put up 22 points and six boards.

The Bulls' trio of DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic also had a nice evening with 76 points. However, DeRozan and Vucevic missed five shots in overtime that could have allowed them to keep in step with the Knicks.

Next up: the Bulls will try to get one back against the Knicks on Friday.


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Stephen Beslic
STEPHEN BESLIC

Stephen Beslic is a writer on Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. Stephen played basketball from the age of 10 and graduated from Faculty of Economic and Business in Zagreb, Croatia, majoring in Marketing.