Knicks squander lead, fall to Bulls for fourth time as winning streak ends at 13

Carmelo Anthony had 36 points on Thursday in Chicago, but the Bulls moved to 4-0 against the Knicks, who saw their 13-game winning streak end (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Alex Raskin, By Alex Raskin, The Star-Ledger
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on April 11, 2013 at 11:19 PM, updated April 11, 2013 at 11:47 PM

The Knicks were proud owners of a 13-game winning streak and a 17-point lead in the third quarter at Chicago's United Center on Thursday night. It seemed almost certain that, after losing the first three meetings of the season, they would finally beat Tom Thibodeau's Bulls.

Of course, "almost certain" and "certain" are two very different things. The Miami Heat were almost certain to extend their 27-game winning streak against a depleted Bulls team back on March 27.

The Heat were wrong then and the Knicks, who watched the Bulls reel off a 16-3 run to end the third, were wrong on Thursday night, ultimately losing, 118-111, in overtime.

Making matters worse, the bulk of the damage wasn't inflicted by Bulls center Joakim Noah (who was out with plantar fasciitis) or even Carlos Boozer or Luol Deng. Former Knicks guard Nate Robinson powered the Bulls throughout the second half and overtime, ultimately finishing with 35 points on 10-of-18 shooting.

"I think Nate likes playing against Coach Woodson, I think," Mike Woodson said. "He's a handful in terms of keeping in front and he's a kid that can make jump shots. He's athletic and he had it going tonight. And that was the difference, I thought."

The game was played without any traditional big men as Tyson Chandler (neck), Kenyon Martin (knee, ankle), Marcus Camby (foot) and Rasheed Wallace (foot) as well as Bulls teammates Noah and Nazr Mohammed were all out. In their place, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Copeland as well as the Bulls' Jimmy Butler all became interior players for the majority of the game.

That's likely why Anthony finished with 19 rebounds and Copeland had four fouls in 29 minutes.

Despite the Bulls' third-quarter run, the Knicks did have a chance to win it at the end.

A Jason Kidd 3-pointer rimmed out with 45 seconds remaining, and the Bulls subsequently dragged the clock down to 18.9 seconds left in the game. Kidd pulled in Robinson's missed layup attempt to give the Knicks a chance to tie or win on the next possession.

Anthony wisely drove to the hoop, where he missed a layup but absorbed a foul from Butler. He hit both free throws to tie the game with 14.5 seconds.

Following Luol Deng's off-balanced jumper on the Bulls' final offensive possession of regulation, the Knicks had a chance to win with 1.5 seconds remaining. However Anthony, who finished with 36 points, missed a 20-foot potential game-winner and the game went to overtime where the Bulls outscored the Knicks, 13-6. 

There was plenty of context between the two teams on Thursday.

Anthony and Robinson swapped technicals in the second quarter, evoking memories of the Knicks' Dec. 21 loss to the Bulls in which Anthony, Chandler, Woodson and Noah were all ejected. That game included nine technical fouls, but Thursday's had only three, possibly because both Chandler and Noah were out with injuries.

But there was still plenty of animosity, even if there weren't any ejections.

For instance, Robinson borrowed Steve Novak's "Discount Double Check" belt mime to celebrate a few 3-pointers on Thursday.

If you can remember the Knicks' Jan. 11 loss to the Bulls at Madison Square Garden, Robinson did the same celebration, which originated with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

After that game, Novak—a native of Wisconsin—got his revenge on the MSG Network:

It warms my heart. It really does. The best part about doing the belt is hearing the stories about all the little kids who hit a three-pointer and do the belt. One day when Little Nathan grows up, his dreams come true and he can be just like me."

The 5-9 (supposedly) Robinson had a response of his own, via Twitter:

âª@stevenovak20 lol at ur comment ... I forgot u invented that move u must play for the packers and ur name is Aaron Rogers...

As we mentioned earlier, the Knicks set an NBA record when Smith hit the team's fifth 3-pointer of the game. With that shot, the Knicks surpassed the 2009-2010 Orlando Magic with 842 3-pointers on the season.

Not only did Smith hit the record-breaking 3-pointer, but he also got to the free throw line seven times, which is something he's growing more accustomed to.

HOOPSWORLD's Tommy Beer:

J.R. Smith averaged 1.5 free-throw attempts per game in the [second] half of last season. He's averaging 5.2 [free throw attempts] since the All-Star game this [year]

Smith finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds. However, he had a -32 plus-minus rating.

The Knicks (51-27) hold a two-game lead on the Indiana Pacers for the second seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs and will play the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Friday night. 

Knicks notes: Anthony set a franchise record by scoring at least 35 points for the sixth consecutive game.