New York Knicks Overcome Chicago Bulls' Stampede, Win No. 2 Seed in OT

The New York Knicks withstood a furious challenge from the Chicago Bulls to earn the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.

Apr 14, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives past Chicago / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks got by with a little help from their friends both near and far on Sunday afternoon.

Backed by a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden fully aware of the stakes, the Knicks took advantage of the Milwaukee Bucks' loss to the Orlando Magic by withstanding a furious overtime challenge from the Chicago Bulls to the tune of a 120-119 final. With the win, the Knicks (50-32) secured both their 50th triumph of the season and the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, reaching both landmarks for the first time since 2013.

The usual suspects rose to the occasion for the Knicks: Jalen Brunson had 40 points (ending the regular season with seven straight games of at least 30) while Donte DiVincenzo had 25 on the busiest afternoon of his career, as he played all but 29 seconds. A hard-fought victory from the Bulls (39-43) also gave the Knicks a chance to end the season on a five-game winning streak, the longest among the East's top six entering the postseason.

Apr 14, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to drive past / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Despite having nothing to play for, as they were long locked into ninth-place, the Bulls had no intentions of rolling over for the Knicks. Sunday's hosts jumped out to an early seven-point lead in the opening period, but the visitors cut the deficit to one by the time it let out. From there, neither team led by more than eight the rest of the way, and it was Chicago who took that advantage when DeMar DeRozan opened the fourth quarter with a dunk.

The Bulls re-established that lead by the nine-minute mark, but three-pointers from OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanvoic, and Miles McBride helped built a 17-8 run that culminated in Brunson's successful and-one that gave the Knicks a narrow ... and short-lived ... one-point lead. Both teams went looking for the dagger for the rest of regulation but a shootout ensued instead. Both DeRozan and Brunson had opportunities to take the game in regulation, but their would-be winners fell short, forcing the Knicks into overtime for just the second time this season.

A three-pointer from DiVincenzo, the final addition to his record-breaking, single-season tally capped at 283, gave the Knicks a lead that proved permanent, but Chicago still refused to make it easy: Precious Achiuwa's penultimate minute putback of a Brunson misfire made it a two-possession game, but DeRozan's and-one delayed the celebration. Josh Hart tipped in a miss but a response from Alex Caruso and a forced Knicks turnover on DiVincenzo's inbound gave Chicago one last chance for the win. DeRozan's heroics failed to fall through, allowing Brunson to haul in a crucial rebound and for Manhattan to exhale.

Achiuwa, Hart, and Isaiah Hartenstein united for 28 of the Knicks' 53 rebounds as Mitchell Robinson sat out of the second half. Chicago, which rested both Ayo Dosunmu and Andre Drummond, saw a bulk of its scoring from DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Coby White, who united for 85 of 119 points.

New York will now wait to see the Play-In Tournament match between Philadelphia and Miami to play out on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), as they'll face the winner in a best-of-seven set. Chicago will get a chance to face the runner-up in that matchup for a chance to be the last team in, as they'll host Atlanta immediately after.