The Knicks own one of the NBA’s worst 3-point defenses. The Bulls just proved it
The Knicks don’t just have a bad three-point defense. They own one of the worst in the NBA.
Lonzo Ball had so much time, he overthought the play.
Nine seconds left in regulation. Tie game. The Knicks scrambling on defense.
Coby White ran a pick-and-roll with Nikola Vucevic, forcing Precious Achiuwa and Mikal Bridges to trap him near the right wing. Vucevic rolled freely down the middle of the paint, drawing Landry Shamet into a difficult decision: stay home on the Bulls’ skilled 7-foot big man at the rim, or rotate up close-out on Ball, who popped out to the top of the key with a clean look at a three.
Shamet hesitated, then committed to Vucevic.
Achiuwa hesitated, too, before finally closing out on Ball.
But by then, the Bulls guard had all the time in the world. Ball caught the pass from White at 9.6 seconds, took an extra dribble at nine seconds flat, and released the shot at 7.8 seconds — an eternity by NBA standards.
His three clanked off the back iron, and on the next possession, Bridges blocked Vucevic’s attempt at the buzzer, forcing overtime, where the Knicks escaped with a narrow 113-111 victory despite yet another game where their perimeter defense was a liability.
It wasn’t the first time. And if New York wants to compete for a title, it needs to be one of the last. Because better teams have already, and will continue to make the Knicks pay for their mistakes guarding the line.
“They’ve got really talented players. It’s as simple as that,” Karl-Anthony Towns said of the Bulls after the game. “They’re a really good team. They’ve got a ton of talent… and all of their players made big shots when they needed to.”
The problem? They weren’t tough shots to make.
***
The Knicks don’t just have a bad three-point defense. They own one of the worst in the NBA.
Opponents are shooting 37.9% from deep against New York this season, the highest clip in the league. The Knicks rank bottom-five in threes allowed and middle-of-the-pack (17th) in opponent threes made, but no numbers tell the story better than the film from Thursday night.
From the opening tip, the Knicks’ perimeter defense was in shambles:
Chicago’s first two possessions resulted in open three-pointers. The Bulls’ three-guard lineup of White, Ball, and Josh Giddey continuously broke down the Knicks’ defense, forcing kick-outs that kept them in rotation. The Knicks struggled against pick-and-pops, surrendering clean looks to Vucevic (3-of-5 from deep), Julian Phillips (2-of-3), and noted stretch five Zach Collins (0-of-3 on open attempts). Even inbounds plays became a problem. Vucevic’s late-game three to put the Bulls ahead 104-102 was a breakdown New York simply couldn’t afford.Chicago attempted 18 threes in the first quarter alone, hitting just five, but many of the looks were clean. The Bulls finished the night 19-of-48 (39.6%) from downtown, shooting 14-of-30 from the second quarter through overtime.
“I think that’s the challenge when you have multiple point guards on the floor,” Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “The speed of the game is gonna be a little bit different… dribble penetration, and then Vucevic, because of what he does, the ability to pop, the ability to short roll, and the ability to roll, you have to be able to guard him in all three areas.”
But it wasn’t just Vucevic. The Knicks’ poor closeouts, slow rotations, and defensive lapses let Chicago’s guards dictate the pace all night.
The porous perimeter defense is something the Knicks can’t afford: The best teams in basketball — the ones New York will have to beat in the playoffs — live at the three-point line.
***
The Bulls were just the beginning. For the Knicks, this is the home stretch.
They’ll face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, then travel to Boston to face the reigning champion Celtics on Sunday.
Counting the Bulls, that’s three of the NBA’s best three-point shooting teams right out of the All-Star break.
Boston leads the NBA in both three-pointers attempted and made. The Celtics tied an NBA record with 29 made threes on 61 attempts in their season-opening blowout against the Knicks. They buried another 19 threes on 39 attempts on Feb. 8, another blowout win.
Cleveland ranks fourth in three-point attempts and first in three-point percentage, and Chicago ranks second in attempts and third in makes.
The Knicks are 0-2 against the Celtics, 0-1 against the Cavaliers, and 1-2 against the Bulls — a combined 1-5 against the teams who hunt the three ball the most.
It’s not a coincidence. It’s a trend indicative of a team that has struggled to defend the line this season.
***
Some reinforcements are coming, and the timing couldn’t be much better.
Josh Hart (knee) is considered day-to-day. Thibodeau dismissed his ailment as “just knee soreness,” meaning a return could come as soon as this weekend.
OG Anunoby (foot) has now missed six straight games but is also believed to be nearing a return.
Then, there’s Mitchell Robinson, who posted his 266.1-pound weigh-in on social media Thursday with the caption: “High-flying Mitch.”
The rim-protecting center is back to full-contact five-on-five scrimmages but is still working into game shape. His return remains uncertain, if not doubtful, for both Cleveland and Boston.
Robinson’s presence would be a game-changer, a dominant rim-protecting presence allowing perimeter defenders to be more aggressive defending the three-point line.
The Knicks need him. They need Anunoby and Hart at full strength, too.
Because while Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis (1-of-6 from three) and Ball’s hesitation at the buzzer bailed the Knicks out on Thursday, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White won’t.
Neither will Darius Garland or De’Andre Hunter.
And if the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo finds an open Brook Lopez, or Jayson Tatum dishes to Kristaps Porzingis in a pick-and-pop, the Knicks’ current defensive approach will get exposed — again.
This concept isn’t foreign to the Knicks. They know they need to improve across the board, especially where they’ve been weak this season.
Their defense will be better when their two-best defenders return to the lineup, but the Knicks want to be solid no matter who is on the floor.
“You’re talking about two really, really good and impactful players on our team, so of course things could possibly be different with them there,” said Towns. “But it’s a next-man-up mentality.”
Jalen Brunson refused to blame injuries.
“You can’t say you don’t have him or that, that’s just making excuses,” Brunson said. “I want everyone healthy. That’s what I care about the most. But whatever breakdowns happen, we talk about it for what it is. We don’t say, ‘this wouldn’t have happened if [Mitch or OG was in the rotation].’ Nah. We don’t do that.”
The Knicks escaped with a win Thursday, but the cracks in their defense are apparent and predictable.
And if they don’t patch them soon, the best teams in the league will tear those cracks wide open.
The controversy over which position $313.5 million slugger Rafael Devers will play in the Boston Red Sox infield may have repercussions for another player.
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Both SBS’s “Buried Hearts” and MBC’s “Undercover High School” saw their viewership ratings rise for their second episodes!
On February 22, Park Hyung Sik’s new drama “Buried Hearts” enjoyed a significant increase in viewership. According to Nielsen Korea, the second episode of the show scored an average nationwide rating of 8.1 percent, marking an impressive 2 percent jump from its premiere the night prior—and making it the most-watched miniseries of the entire week.
Despite facing stiff competition from “Buried Hearts,” Seo Kang Jun’s new drama “Undercover High School”—which airs in the same time slot—also rose to an average nationwide rating of 6.6 percent for its own second episode.
“Undercover High School” was also the most-watched drama of Saturday among the key demographic of viewers ages 20 to 49, with whom it earned an average rating of 2.8 percent.
tvN’s “When the Stars Gossip”—which has just one episode left in its run—fell to an all-time low of 1.783 percent ahead of its series finale, while Channel A’s new drama “The Witch” scored an average nationwide rating of 1.7 percent for its third episode.
Finally, KBS 2TV’s “For Eagle Brothers” remained the most-watched program of Saturday with an average nationwide rating of 16.3 percent.
Check out the first two episodes of “Undercover High School” with subtitles on Viki below:
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40985c-undercover-high-school]
Or start watching “The Witch” here:
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40442c-the-witch]
And “For Eagle Brothers” below!
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40963c-for-eagle-brothers]
Source (1) (2) (3)
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 (2) (3) %23maine) |
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The Netflix docuseries “American Murder: Gabby Petito” is facing backlash from some viewers who are questioning whether the filmmakers’ decision to use artificial intelligence to recreate Petito’s voice is ethical.
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Shakur Stevenson outclassed Josh Padley in Saudi Arabia, forcing the Brit's corner to throw in the towel after a ninth round onslaught. However, it's Padley's whose stock will rise after this fight.
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Hunter Schafer made a return to the spotlight at the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards, her first appearance since calling out Trump over her passport listing her as 'male'.
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Severance season 2 ep. 6's villain twist explained
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Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G., died Friday, February 21
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jeremy Ebobisse scored in the 78th minute of his first match with his new club, and Los Angeles FC remained perfect in eight Major League Soccer season openers with a 1-0 victory…
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 — Jeremy Ebobisse scored in the 78th minute of his first match with his new club, and Los Angeles FC remained perfect in eight Major League Soccer season openers with a 1-0 victory… %23maine){kind=logo} |
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President Donald Trump has chosen Dan Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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Golden State Warriors are back with a new edge. Coach Steve Kerr shares how it all came together and its impact on the team.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. loves Canada and especially the Jays, but for his upcoming free agency — he is next winter’s clear No. 1 guy — he suggests he will consider any of the 30 teams.
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An insider has given a glimpse into what Meghan Markle is really like off-camera, after she was branded as "demanding" while filming for her new Netflix show With Love
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Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers faced accusations after he introduced a bill in which the word
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We can't cope.
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BLACKPINK’s Rosé is soaring to unprecedented heights on U.S. radio!
For the week ending on February 22, Rosé and Bruno Mars’ smash hit “APT.” remained No. 1 for the fourth week in a row on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, which measures weekly plays on mainstream Top 40 radio stations across the United States. Notably, Rosé is the first K-pop artist ever to top the chart.
“APT.” also rose to a new peak of No. 4 in its 13th week on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart, which measures U.S. radio plays across all musical genres (not just Top 40 pop).
Even including groups and male acts, Rosé is now the first K-pop artist ever to reach the top 4 of the Radio Songs chart.
Additionally, “APT.” stayed strong at No. 2 in its 17th week on Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. chart, No. 3 on the Global 200, No. 7 on the Hot 100, No. 11 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and No. 12 on the Streaming Songs chart.
Meanwhile, Rosé’s solo album “rosie” remained stable at No. 31 in its 10th week on the Billboard 200, extending its own record for the most weeks in the top 40 of any album by either a female K-pop artist or a K-pop soloist of any gender.
“rosie” also held relatively steady at No. 35 in its 10th week on Billoard’s Top Current Album Sales chart.
Finally, Rosé maintained her position at No. 31 on Billboard’s Artist 100 this week, marking her 18th non-consecutive week on the chart as a soloist.
Congratulations to Rosé!
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Even including groups and male acts, Rosé is now the first K-pop artist ever to reach the top 4 of the Radio Songs chart.
Additionally, “APT.” stayed strong at No. 2 in its 17th week on Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. chart, No. 3 on the Global 200, No. 7 on the Hot 100, No. 11 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and No. 12 on the Streaming Songs chart.
Meanwhile, Rosé’s solo album “rosie” remained stable at No. 31 in its 10th week on the Billboard 200, extending its own record for the most weeks in the top 40 of any album by either a female K-pop artist or a K-pop soloist of any gender.
“rosie” also held relatively steady at No. 35 in its 10th week on Billoard’s Top Current Album Sales chart.
Finally, Rosé maintained her position at No. 31 on Billboard’s Artist 100 this week, marking her 18th non-consecutive week on the chart as a soloist.
Congratulations to Rosé! %23maine) |
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Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
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