CHICAGO — OG Anunoby’s sterling record with the Knicks took a hit after a controversial ejection and a disappointing Knicks performance in Chi-Town.
The defensive Swiss Army knife returned to the starting lineup but couldn’t stop the Bulls, who led big early and won in wire-to-wire fashion, 108-100.
A day after Julius Randle was ruled out for the season, Jalen Brunson again got little help on offense as Josh Hart was quickly rendered unavailable by referee Scott Foster.
Hart was tossed in for a Flagrant 2 foul with 34.1 seconds left in the first quarter.
The forward was stripped on a drive and, while midair, Hart’s flailing leg kicked Javonte Green in the side of the head.
Foster, no stranger to controversy and quick triggers, initially gave Hart a technical.
He turned it into a Flagrant 2 and automatic ejection after the review.
Hart protested to Foster in calm shock before retreating to the locker room after his shortest appearance (11 minutes) since he was ejected in the first quarter against the Clippers on Dec. 16.
Replays didn’t give a clear indication that Hart’s kick was purposeful.
Rather, it appeared Hart was attempting to maintain his balance and the boot was inadvertent.
At best, it was a close judgment call and it hurt the Knicks.
McBride, the replacement to start the second half, played well but the Knicks ran out of steam after cutting an 18-point second-half deficit to four.
Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic buried the biggest shot of the evening, a 3-pointer with about 90 seconds left that gave the Bulls an eight-point lead. Brunson’s 35-point, 11-assist night in 41 minutes was wasted.
The Knicks were outrebounded, 57-38.
They were playing on the second night of a back-to-back and the energy matched the occasion.
The loss was the fourth loss in five games for the Knicks (45-32), who remained fifth in the East but only 1 ½ games ahead of the No. 6 Pacers (who beat the Thunder on Friday).
The No. 4 Magic, who own the tiebreaker against the Knicks, lost to the Hornets on Friday in a shocker.
It’s very much a cluster and the Knicks aren’t separating themselves.
They fell to 15-3 in games with Anunoby, who played well and had 12 points in 29 minutes on 5 of 8 shooting.
“In general, when you get down to the last 10 games of the season, everybody is playing for something,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “There’s heightened intensity.”
Green, who fell to the court after the Hart kick, was fine and scored 25 points off the bench.
He even completed a double-pump reverse dunk in the second quarter as the Bulls breezed in the first half.
Anunoby, making his first appearance after a nine-game absence due to a “flare-up” in his surgically-repaired elbow, started at forward alongside Hart, pushing McBride out of the starting lineup.
It wasn’t a smooth beginning.
The Knicks trailed by 12 after eight minutes and never fully recovered.
Friday was the first of three games against the Bulls in the final 10 days of the season.
It’s not hyperbole that the Knicks playoff seeding will be determined by how well they play against Chicago.
Their next matchup is Tuesday at the United Center, which follows a quick day trip to Milwaukee for Sunday’s contest.
In other words, the Knicks are sleeping five nights in Chicago — a rare extended stay in the NBA schedule.
“I think the one thing probably for both teams is going to be the familiarity piece,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “You’re coming back and playing against each other again, there’s at least from a preparation standpoint, there is familiarity, which I think for both teams is helpful in getting ready to play.”
