Knicks bury Bulls early, cruise to a 136-96 rout at MSG

The Knicks don’t just beat the Bulls — they flatten them from the opening tip. New York storms out with a 38-16 first quarter, then keeps piling on until the margin swells to 47 points in a 136-96 demolition at Madison Square Garden. There’s no comeback arc here, no late-game suspense, no shifting tide. This is a wire-to-wire statement, with the Knicks controlling every phase of the game and Chicago never landing a counterpunch.

The tone is set immediately when New York rips off an 18-0 run early in the first, turning a 2-1 game into a 20-1 avalanche. The key play in that burst — J. Sochan’s second free throw — is less about the free points themselves and more about the suffocation around them. Chicago can’t get into a rhythm, can’t string together clean possessions, and suddenly the deficit is already in crisis mode before the opening quarter is halfway done. From there, the Knicks keep their foot down, and the Bulls spend the rest of the night chasing shadows.

OG Anunoby is the headliner, and he looks like the best player on the floor from start to finish. He pours in 31 points on 60% shooting, hits seven threes, and adds eight rebounds in just 31 minutes. He’s not just spotting up — he’s cutting, attacking, and punishing every loose coverage. A second-quarter sequence captures the kind of pressure New York is applying: the Knicks go on a 14-0 run in the middle frame, and it’s capped by Anunoby cutting for a finger roll layup to push the lead to 58-23. That’s the story of the night in miniature: New York forces the Bulls into scramble mode, then converts those breakdowns into clean looks and easy points.

The Knicks don’t let up after the break, either. If Chicago was hoping for the usual halftime reset, the third quarter douses it immediately. New York strings together another 16-point run to stretch the game well out of reach, and the ball movement starts to look almost casual in the best possible way. T. Kolek’s 10-foot driving floating jump shot highlights that surge, and by the time the Knicks are at 119-72, the Garden is already in late-night cleanup mode. The fourth quarter is basically a victory lap, but even there New York keeps finding action — Y. Kawamura drills a 25-foot pullup three, M. Diawara runs in for an alley-oop dunk, and P. Dadiet knocks down a 26-foot three to push the score to 136-91. It’s not just garbage-time scoring; it’s a continuation of the same pace, spacing, and confidence that built the lead in the first place.

There were plenty of efficient supporting performances behind Anunoby’s explosion. Jalen Brunson finishes with 17 points and 10 assists, steering the offense without needing to take over scoring-wise. Mitchell Robinson gives New York a massive interior edge with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and the numbers back up how much he tilted the game physically. Collin Sexton adds 19 points and five threes, giving the Knicks another perimeter weapon in a night when the offense looks fully unlocked. Chicago never finds enough resistance at the point of attack, and once the Knicks start winning the paint and the glass, the margin only widens.

For the Bulls, this is the kind of loss that leaves no spin room. They never led, never forced a lead change, and never made New York uncomfortable for even a short stretch. The Knicks, meanwhile, get exactly what contenders want in April: a dominant home win, star-level shot-making, and a clean rotation night that can build momentum without draining the roster. If there’s a takeaway beyond the lopsided final, it’s that New York can bury teams fast when the spacing is right and the defense turns offense. For Chicago, it’s back to the drawing board. For New York, it’s another reminder that when the Garden is rolling early, the game can be over before the third quarter even starts.