The third-longest winning streak in Knicks’ history has been snapped at 13 games.
Behind 35 points from former Knick Nate Robinson, the Chicago Bulls improved to 4-0 against New York this season with a 118-111 OT win in Chicago.
“It’s over with, you can’t win ’em all,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson told reporters in Chicago. “It would’ve been nice if Melo knocks down that shot [in the final seconds] and we walk out here with a win. But it didn’t happen and we gotta rebound tomorrow night against Cleveland.”
Carmelo Anthony put up 36 points and a season-high 19 rebounds while playing center for much of the game, but missed a potential game-winning jumper with the game tied at 105 in the final seconds.
J.R. Smith added 28 points, Raymond Felton 19 and Chris Copeland 14.
New York’s last loss came March 17 at the Clippers.
Chicago also ended Miami’s winning streak at 27 games on March 28 when they won at home, 104-97.
Bulls forward Carlos Boozer credited Robinson’s play against his old coach and teammates with the win.
“Honestly, he just took the game over,” Boozer told the MSG Network after putting up 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls. “He took the game over in the fourth quarter, he took the game over in overtime and that’s why we won the game.
“They’re a great team, they score a lot of points, they take a lot of shots, they got a lot of scorers,” Boozer said. “Melo was amazing.But I’m just proud of our team. We’re super-shorthanded and somehow we keep finding ways to win.”
The Knicks dressed only nine players and played again without centers Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin.
Martin is listed as day-to-day, while Chandler’s status is unclear going forward.
Trailing 99-90 with a little more than six minutes left, the Knicks used 15-6 run to tie it at 105 and force OT on a pair of Anthony foul shots with 14.5 seconds left.
Luol Deng missed a runner off the window that would’ve given Chicago the lead at the end of regulation, and Anthony missed a jumper on the other end that could’ve extend their winning streak to 14 games.
“I thought Melo had a good look at it,” Woodson told reporters. “He just rimmed it and we ended up losing it in overtime.”
The Knicks ran out of gas in the OT and were outscored 13-6.
Felton appeared to hyper-extend his knee in the OT trying to steal ball from Kirk Hinrich, but he stayed in the game and Woodson said he was OK.
“He was able to get up off the deck and finish the game,” Woodson said.
New York visits Cleveland Friday night before returning home to face Indiana Sunday afternoon at the Garden.
The Knicks and the Pacers are battling for the No. 2 seed in the East.
