Jalen Brunson's 22 First-quarter Points Kickstart Knicks' 135-105 Smackdown Of Bulls

The Knicks took advantage of a floundering Chicago Bulls defense -- ranked 29th of 30 in the league -- Wednesday night, winning their third-straight game and their fourth in the last five with a final score of 135-105.

Here are the takeaways...

-- New York came out of the gate fast, stunning a young Bulls team into a state of near paralysis. Chicago surrendered 10 points off of turnovers through the first 13 minutes of play, while the Knicks, who have struggled in transition so far this season, let up none across the same span. The Bulls also faltered from beyond the arc, missing 20-straight threes in the middle stretch of the first half. Led by Jalen Brunson's 26 first-half points, New York went into the break with a dominating 32-point lead (84-53).

-- After struggling to find the basket through the first few games of the season -- and missing his first three of Wednesday's game --Brunson looked back to peak form in the first quarter, scoring a staggering 22 points in 11 first-quarter minutes. Collectively, the Bulls only scored 21 in the opening frame.

Even with significantly decreased minutes in the back half of the contest, Brunson continued to produce, finishing the night with 33 points, two rebounds, and four assists. 

-- The Knicks went 24-for-26 from the charity stripe in the first half. OG Anunoby contributed nearly half of those points. 

He drew 10 free throws in the first 14 minutes of play -- marking the second-straight game in which he earned eight attempts -- and landed every one for 10 of his 18 first-half points. A third personal foul with 8:48 left in the opening half stifled his run as he sat for the next five minutes, and while he drew two more foul shots before the half wound down, he only hit one. Still, his 11 made free throws tied a career-best mark for most in the first half.

-- Karl-Anthony Towns finished the game with his eighth-consecutive double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds), completing the set less than halfway through the third despite only recording one shot from the field by the end of the first half. He opened the third quarter with two back-to-back threes and only turned up the heat from there.

Toward the end of the second frame, Towns jumped up to shoot a three but was met by Chicago forward Zach Collins, who knocked the ball out of Towns' hand. On his way down, Collins stepped on Towns' toe and knocked him over, triggering a review for a flagrant foul. However, because Collins' foot landed on top of Towns' rather than below, the move was ruled as a common foul instead, and Towns earned three free throws. He made all three.

-- With Josh Hart sidelined due to ankle soreness, Landry Shamet joined New York's starting five for the first time this season. The shooting guard more than earned the right Monday, lifting the Knicks to a win against the Brooklyn Nets with a game-leading 22 points.

Right off the bat, Shamet landed two buckets, scoring the Knicks' first four points. His production slowed down after that, but he finished with seven points, two rebounds, two assists, and a plus-21 rating.

-- For the second game in a row -- and third in the last week -- New York's bench combined for 40-plus points (53 on Wednesday). This time, Jordan Clarkson and Dalton Knecht led the way.

In his first game as a Knick,Knecht scored 10 points in 13 minutes played. His first points came from a tip-in dunk on a Shamet miss. His second -- a 25-foot step-back jump shot -- put the Knicks at 84 first-half points, tying the franchise record for most points scored in the opening 24 minutes of a game. He also added seven rebounds and an assist.

Clarkson, who also scored 10, went 4-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from three. 

Mohammed Diawara, who first subbed in for Anunoby with five minutes left in the first, collected three points, one rebound, and one block in three first-quarter minutes. He finished with eight points, tied with James Wiseman for second-most on the bench.

Late in the third, Miles McBride leapt up for a 24-foot jumper from deep at the play clock buzzer before he was knocked over, drawing a foul and turning the sequence into a four-point play. He finished with seven points.

-- All 14 available Knicks made an appearance. Everyone except Jose Alvarado and Pacome Dadiet played 11 minutes or more. They each played nine.

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

The star point guard finished 10-for-17 from the field, 5-for-10 from three-point range, and 8-for-9 from the free throw line en route to a season-best 33-point performance. No other Knick surpassed 18 points. 

Highlights

Landry Shamet throws it down! https://t.co/yH6DtNqjku

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

Jalen Brunson cookin’ https://t.co/qxPhoQlzl2

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

22 points in Q1 for Jalen Brunson! https://t.co/YAioldhVmf

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

Dalton Knecht putback slam! https://t.co/BlTEbpZXRK

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

Dalton Knecht from deep and the Knicks tie a franchise record with 84 points in the first half! https://t.co/Gtfqu1dfdH

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

KAT opens the second half with a pair of triples! https://t.co/mlF1r247Fv

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

Deuce four-point play! https://t.co/ev1ZlMEgEv

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

What's next

After a few days of rest, New York will be back in action Saturday night when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.