Overtime hasn’t been the right time for the Bulls this season

CHICAGO – This certainly hasn’t been the start the Bulls wanted to their season, and a lot has to do with how they finish games.

Once again on Wednesday night, the opportunity to get a win slipped away in the closing moments of regulation and then a little extra time.

In overtime, the Bulls had nothing for the Knicks at the United Center in the overtime session as they were outscored 11-3 in a 128-120 loss. It dropped the team to 0-3 on the season in games that require extra time, with the team also losing Oklahoma City 123-119 on November 25 and then the Hawks 123-122 this past Sunday.

It continues the overall trend for the team of not being able to pull out close games, which has been one of the narratives in an 11-16 start to the season that has them out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference at the moment.

In contests that are decided by five points or less, the Bulls are 2-9 on the season, losing their first six games decided within that margin this season. They finally beat the Bucks on the road on November 23 by a score of 118-113 but have only won once in a game decided by five or less points – December 7 vs Wizards (115-111).

A chance to get things right against the Knicks comes on Friday night as the teams play for the second time in three nights at the United Center at 7 p.m..The Bulls have lost their last two games and 5 of their last seven contests.