The New York Knicks fulfilled expectations while renewing a one-sided local rivalry Monday night, but they also showed again how far they remain from the championship form of last season.
The Knicks can climb to the .500 mark Wednesday night when they close out a two-game homestand by hosting the Chicago Bulls.
Both teams had a day off after playing Monday night, when the Knicks rode a dominant fourth quarter to a 103-90 win over the Brooklyn Nets while the visiting Bulls fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 126-107.
The win was the third in four games following an 0-3 start for the Knicks, who maintained their dominance of the Nets by winning the 15th straight game between the teams dating back to Feb. 13, 2023.
Yet the winning streak was in danger when the Nets ended the third quarter on a 19-6 run to take a 79-75 lead. The Knicks dodged the upset bid by scoring the first nine points of the fourth and outscoring Brooklyn 28-11 in the period.
It was the second fourth-quarter comeback in three games for the Knicks, who outscored the Bulls by 12 points in the final 12 minutes of a 133-127 win on Oct. 28 — another reminder New York is not operating at peak efficiency.
The Knicks are allowing 105.1 points per game — the third-lowest figure in the NBA entering play Tuesday — but their 106.4 points per game ranked 27th in scoring entering Tuesday. That’s more than 10 points per game fewer than last year, when New York ranked 10th in the league with 116.5 points per game in the regular season before going 16-3 in the playoffs and winning it all for the first time since 1973.
The Knicks shot just 36.1% from the field (13 of 36) in the first half Monday before shooting 46.2% (18 of 39) in the final two quarters.
“The issues are still there,” said forward Josh Hart, who finished with eight points Monday as he was held in single digits for the fourth straight game. “I think this year, for the most part, our defense has been pretty good.
“But our offense has to get in a better flow and that’s kind of what’s holding us back right now. So a win doesn’t erase the problem or erase the issues. We got to figure those out and get better.”
Hart (right ankle) is questionable for Wednesday’s game.
The Knicks may get a chance to get on track against the rebuilding Bulls, who have surrendered 128.9 points per game, the most in the NBA entering Tuesday, during a 1-6 start.
The Bulls held a handful of second-quarter leads against the reloaded 76ers and were within four points early in the third before Philadelphia mounted a 58-43 run over the final 21 minutes.
The 76ers shot 52.5% (21 of 40) from the field during that decisive run, which included 61.9% (13 of 21) in the fourth quarter.
The loss Monday continued a challenging stretch for the Bulls, who are in the middle of 10 straight games against teams that made the playoffs last season — including two apiece with the Knicks, 76ers and Boston Celtics as well as one with the San Antonio Spurs, who fell to New York in the NBA Finals in June.
“We feel we can be competitive every night, but we also (know) any team can beat us any night,” guard Josh Giddey said after collecting 13 points and 10 assists against the 76ers. “(They’re) in position to be in games, but then third quarter, fourth quarter, (they) blow us out some. But I feel like it will show on the scoreboard soon enough.”
