Is there such a thing as too much hustle? Josh Hart would say no. But then again, he is feeling the burn from his game-changing mistake against the Chicago Bulls last night. The New York Knicks were up by two with 4.6 seconds on the clock. Hart was defending Coby White above the break, and the hustler that he is, Hart navigated a screen to jump and contest White’s three-point attempt.
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He would end up fouling the Bulls guard from behind and conceding three free throws, all of which – including the game-winner – White would knock down. The 29-year-old took his late-game foul to heart and described it as an “inexcusable mistake” after Jalen Brunson’s Hail Mary shot rimmed out.
“They called a foul, it’s a foul,” Hart said during a locker room interview at Madison Square Garden. “Vucevic got a good screen at the top. I was kind of behind him [White], felt like he had an open shot so I just try to go contest it,” the 6’4 forward explained.
The Knicks had fought their way to the lead after being down double-digits at the half. Hart was desperate to complete the comeback and showed visible frustration after the game that his mistake cost his team the home win.
“Should have been a big statement win for us. The first game where we really got hit and really, you know, started to swing back…That one’s on my shoulders and I just got to move on from it,” Josh reflected post-game.
"They called a foul it's a foul. Inexcusable mistake…Tough one. Should have been a big statement win…I gotta be better. That one's on my shoulders. Just gotta move on from it"
–– Josh Hart to Alan Hahn on his 3-point foul 3.2 seconds left that led to Bulls beating Knicks by 1 pic.twitter.com/N39NLoBQDY
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 14, 2024
While it could have been a big win for New York, and Karl-Anthony Towns in particular, the cards fell where they did and Tom Thibodeau must contend with his record through 11 games.
How is the New York Knicks season looking?
The Bulls should have been an easy opponent for the Knicks, but the NYC side found itself down by as much as 22 at home. Their third-quarter comeback was spurred by Towns, who dropped 18 points during the period.
KAT finished the night with 46 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to stop his Knicks from falling to 5-6 on the season. To be fair, Thibodeau’s side are facing a grueling schedule at the moment.
“The games keep coming. We’re in the midst of a tough stretch right now,” New York’s head coach shared after the home loss. His team has played 3 games in 4 nights and will have to do it again from Friday to Monday.
They had a chance to surpass a .500 record against the Bulls but will now try and do it against their intercity rivals, the Brooklyn Nets, who they face twice over the weekend.
