Brunson Scored 38, but New York's 43-Point Fourth Won the Argument.

Chicago led New York by nineteen points in the third quarter, and somehow the Knicks ended the night winning 133–127. Jalen Brunson scored 38, but the more revealing number is 43: New York's fourth-quarter output. The Knicks didn't slowly drift back into the game. They changed its direction with a finishing period that exposed Chicago's inability to protect a lead when the opponent began attacking with purpose. One player's big night mattered; the team response was bigger.

Nineteen down doesn't mean finished

The Bulls were ahead 62–56 at halftime, thanks in part to Tre Jones' half-court shot at the buzzer. Norman Powell carried Chicago's third-quarter push, and the lead reached nineteen. New York entered the fourth down 96–90. From there, the Knicks scored 43 to Chicago's 31. That twelve-point swing is the game: a six-point deficit became a six-point win. The late comeback wasn't random luck. It was an offense finally producing high-value possessions while its opponent failed to sustain what worked earlier.

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Brunson needed help — and got it

Brunson finished 13-for-25 from the field, made six threes and handed out seven assists. OG Anunoby added 23 points, Karl-Anthony Towns delivered 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson scored 18. Those contributions were important because Chicago could not simply send everybody at Brunson and assume the others would miss. New York also won the rebounding battle 50–39. A comeback is harder when every stop ends with the other team collecting another chance.

Chicago wasn't short of scoring talent on Wednesday. Powell put up 30 on 10-for-15 shooting; Caleb Wilson scored 20, while Jalen Smith and Matas Buzelis gave the Bulls 17 each. The team shot well overall and made 18 threes. What failed was the response once New York seized the fourth quarter. Scoring thirty-one in a period is respectable in isolation. Giving up forty-three while trying to protect a lead is a completely different story.

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A late run, then one last scare

The Knicks built the decisive stretch around a 10–2 run, with Brunson helping extend the advantage to 124–114 with under four minutes remaining. Chicago still cut it to three, 130–127, in the final minute. Powell had a chance at a tying three but missed. Those details matter: New York nearly let a second late swing develop, and Chicago's fight never fully disappeared. The correct analysis is that the Knicks finished better, not that the Bulls vanished entirely.

6IX TAKE — Chicago couldn't protect what it earned

6IX TAKE — Brunson is going to get the headline, and he earned it. Thirty-eight points on the road while erasing a nineteen-point deficit is star-level work. But I'm more interested in how easily Chicago lost its grip once New York started scoring. A team can have Powell shooting efficiently, a double-digit lead and a home crowd behind it, and still lose because its defense stops providing answers. That's a serious coaching and execution problem, not a bad bounce. New York should be proud of the comeback without making a habit of needing one. The Knicks had just beaten Detroit the night before, and the energy required to climb out of a nineteen-point hole on a back-to-back is not something you can count on every week. The most encouraging sign was the multiple contributions around Brunson. The most troubling sign for Chicago was its failure to manage the game once momentum shifted. Both teams have a useful lesson here.

The lesson from both benches

New York has proved it can win a tense finish with Brunson orchestrating and other scorers contributing. Chicago needs answers for what happens when a comfortable lead becomes a game of possessions and adjustments. The final scoreboard calls it a six-point result; the fourth-quarter tape explains why the Knicks were the ones celebrating.