KAT rues poor free-throw shooting despite 46 points in loss to Bulls

Karl-Anthony Towns shouldered responsibility for the New York Knicks' narrow 124-123 defeat to the Chicago Bulls after going 4-of-8 from the free-throw line during a season-high 46-point performance.

"Today was a disappointing display of free-throw shooting by me," he told reporters postgame, courtesy of SNY. "Even if it was in and out, I expect to make them all.

"You look back at the game, especially when you don't come out with a win in a tough game like this, you look at everything that you could have done in the mirror - you make some of those free throws, at least two or three (of) them, and you put your team in a different position."

Towns returned to the court postgame to put up shots from the line.

The Knicks trailed by as many as 22 points in the third quarter Wednesday but went ahead by three early in the fourth when Josh Hart hit a difficult layup over Nikola Vucevic to make it 97-96 - their first lead since the first quarter.

Towns was instrumental in keeping New York close down the stretch. He scored 17 of his 46 points in the final frame on 7-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-5 from distance. However, he converted just one of three attempts from the charity stripe in the quarter: a technical free throw immediately after Hart's layup. Towns then missed his only other two attempts in the frame after a shooting foul by Josh Giddey with the Knicks down one midway through the quarter.

New York held a two-point lead with 4.6 seconds left after Jalen Brunson maneuvered inside for a floater over Patrick Williams. The home crowd's elation was short-lived, though, as Coby White was fouled by Hart on a subsequent 3-point attempt and buried all three of his free throws, putting the Knicks under .500 on the season at 5-6.