SUMMARY
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Jalen Brunson recorded 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists as the New York Knicks landed the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference by holding off the visiting Chicago Bulls, 120-119, in overtime on Sunday, April 14 (Monday, April 15, Manila time).
A loss to the Orlando Magic by the Milwaukee Bucks aided the Knicks (50-32), who registered their first 50-win season in 24 seasons.
Donte DiVincenzo added 25 points for New York.
DeMar DeRozan paced the Bulls (39-43) with 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Nikola Vucevic finished with a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double and Coby White had 26 points.
The Knicks took the lead for good after a pair of Brunson free throws, followed by DiVincenzo’s three-pointer that gave New York a 114-112 lead with 3:13 remaining in overtime.
The Bulls didn’t go away quietly and kept the contest a two-possession game for the remainder of overtime.
New York had a 120-119 lead with 13.4 seconds left, when Josh Hart turned the ball over on an inbounds pass.
DeRozan drove in for a shot, but it was off the mark and the loose rebound was corralled by Brunson with two seconds remaining.
The Knicks were able to hold firm from there and conclude the regular season with a five-game winning streak.
Brunson tied the franchise record for most 30-point games in a single season, matching Patrick Ewing’s and Richie Guerin’s mark of 36 games.
DiVincenzo played a career-high 53 minutes and also had 7 rebounds. Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 points off the bench, while Josh Hart had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
For Chicago, Alex Caruso chipped in 15 points, 8 assists, and 5 steals, while Javonte Green added 11 points and 8 rebounds.
The Bulls are the No. 10 seed in the East and will face the No. 9 Atlanta Hawks in the play-in round on Wednesday.
The Knicks had a 50-47 halftime lead, but fell behind after a strong third-quarter performance from the Bulls.
Chicago led by as many as 8 points early in the fourth quarter, when New York chipped away at the deficit and made it a back-and-forth battle down the stretch.
With less than 40 seconds remaining in regulation and the score tied at 109, the Bulls had a pair of opportunities to take the lead, but emerged empty-handed.
Brunson missed a tough shot at the buzzer for the Knicks at the end of regulation, which led to overtime. – Rappler.com
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