It didn’t take long for the Knicks’ 3-point barrage to begin.
Less than three minutes into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden, Jalen Brunson drilled his first 3-pointer of the night.
On the next possession, he nailed another.
Karl-Anthony Towns would add two more 3-pointers in the next two minutes and change.
And that was just the start.
Back home after a winless road trip, the Knicks rode a season-best offensive effort to a 128-116 win over the Chicago Bulls, snapping a three-game losing streak.
The Knicks (3-3) made 18 of their first 30 attempts from 3-point range and finished 20-of-42 (47.6%) from behind the arc.
Brunson scored 19 of his team-high 31 points in the first quarter and shot 10-of-22, including 4-of-11 on 3-pointers, for the game.
Towns added 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Josh Hart — playing through an injured ring finger on his shooting hand — delivered his best outing of the season with 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
The 128 points marked a season-high for the Knicks, who entered Sunday shooting just 34.4% on 3-pointers.
It was the first loss of the season for Chicago (5-1), which had been the Eastern Conference’s last remaining undefeated team.
Sunday’s game came just two days after the Knicks lost, 135-125, to the Bulls in Chicago to cap an 0-3 road trip.
And while some of the defensive issues that plagued the Knicks during their losing skid persisted Sunday — the Bulls shot 17-of-40 (42.5%) on 3-pointers — they improved to 3-0 at home.
Before Sunday’s game, head coach Mike Brown stressed the need to remain sharp for all 48 minutes as the Knicks try to achieve more consistency.
The Knicks led 34-24 after the first quarter, during which Brunson shot 6-of-11 from the field and 3-of-4 on 3-pointers.
But the Knicks’ offense stagnated once Brunson left the game, and Chicago caught fire against a lineup of Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Jordan Clarkson and Miles McBride.
The Bulls began the second quarter on a 22-10 run with Brunson on the bench — a stretch in which Chicago made eight consecutive shots, including five 3-pointers, to take a two-point lead.
Five of those baskets came on assists from point guard Josh Giddey, who finished the first half with nine assists.
But that proved to be the Bulls’ biggest push.
Clarkson, an offseason addition to the Knicks’ retooled bench, scored 11 of his 15 points in that second quarter in what was the best game of his young Knicks career.
Hart completed a three-point play late in the second quarter, then made a 3-pointer in the corner with 11 seconds before halftime to give the Knicks a 68-60 lead at the break.
Hart, who told The Athletic he is dealing with a nerve injury in his right hand, entered Sunday averaging just 2.8 points per game on 21.1% shooting.
On Sunday, Hart shot 5-of-10 in 26 minutes off the bench, helping to lead a reserve unit that scored 46 points.
During their consecutive losses in Miami, Milwaukee and Chicago, the Knicks surrendered 123.7 points per game and were defeated by at least eight points on all three nights.
After lighting up the Knicks with 32 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists on Friday, Giddey achieved a triple-double on Sunday with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
But it wasn’t enough this time to beat a more balanced Knicks team, which went 22-of-22 from the free throw line and got at least eight points from eight different players.
Sunday kicked off a season-long seven-game homestand for the Knicks, who are set to host the Washington Wizards on Monday night in the second leg of their first back-to-back of the season.
