The Chicago Bulls nearly stunned the basketball world ... or at least those in attendance at the United Center on Wednesday night.

Facing off against the reigning champion New York Knicks, the Bulls took advantage of their fresh legs and narrowly pulled out the win. Unfortunately for them, however, arguably the most clutch player in basketball was standing on the other side. Jalen Brunson put the game on ice with 14 points in the final frame, including three made triples, giving them the 133-127 win.

To be frank, if you're Tiago Splitter or Bryson Graham, you take this kind of game every day in a rebuilding year, especially five games in. The Bulls fought for a full 48 minutes and were even able to respond to a couple of signature Knicks runs.

Does it sting? Absolutely, and it feels like a missed opportunity with such a gauntlet schedule ahead. But there were some lessons learned in this one, as well as some growth shown.

Attack of the Wings ...

The New York Knicks have the experience; the Chicago Bulls have youthful ignorance.

From the moment the ball tipped off, this team was in attack mode. They didn't look phased one bit by the championship pedigree standing on the other side of the ball. Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis, in particular, had the kind of confidence that Bulls fans want to see. The rookie had two dunks in just 2 minutes of action, while Matas Buzelis forced his way to the free throw line twice during his first-quarter stint.

Even Leonard Miller and Isaac Okoro got in on the fun. Miller had a nice and-one take to the rim, while Okoro went 3-4 from the charity stripe. It wasn't necessarily that the transition game was working perfectly for the Bulls, but that their fresh legs were beating this Knicks team off the bounce.

New York was having some serious trouble cleanly protecting the paint. They allowed the Bulls to go 8-11 from the free throw line in the first 12 minutes. And the second frame wasn't much better. Chicago shot 10 more free throws and finished with a 62-56 lead despite shooting 11-27 in the quarter.

To be sure, the Bulls could have shot a whole lot better from the charity stripe, as they went just 13-21 in the first half. But there is no question that these trips and their physical play style helped them take command of the game. It was ugly and choppy, but that worked in their favor.

Tired Legs But Championship Pedigree

Coming off their first win of the season only 24 hours early, the New York Knicks looked gassed on both ends. Obviously, this played a part in them forking over the free throws, as they came into the league committing the sixth-fewest personal fouls per game. But where they showed up most was on the offensive end.

While this Knicks team has struggled to score over the first week of the season, this felt particularly egregious. We all know Chicago's defense is nothing to call home about, yet they shot 9-24 from the restricted area in the first half. Were they able to draw some whistles? Sure, but there were a handful of botched layups.

The three-point shooting for New York wasn't much better early on. They also settled for more long-range shots than normal. They took 21 attempts in the first half despite coming into the night averaging only 36 total over their first four games.

Nevertheless, with very little falling at the rim, the Knicks weren't going to stop that three-point barrage. After the Bulls built a lead as large as 19, New York did what they do best and clawed their way back into the game with big make and big make They made seven triples in the third quarter, only to followed that up with a an 8-13 showing in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls surprisingly did a good job matching the Knicks downtown makes in crunch time, but did you really think they could out-clutch the champs? They turned it over four times in the fourth quarter and watched New York score 11 points off those mistakes.

Third Quarter Progress!

The third quarter – along with three-point shooting, defense, and rebounding – has been the Chicago Bulls' Achilles' heel to start the season. The Washington Wizards finished the quarter a +20, while the Boston Celtics were a +18. To have a chance against the reigning champs, the Bulls were going to have to look more competitive coming out of the locker room. And that was going to be a lot easier said than done, with the Knicks going +24 in the third quarter against the Pistons on Tuesday!

To the Bulls' immense credit, though, they pulled it off. They continued to move the ball well offensively and built their lead to as much as 19 points. One of their best sequences came after Jalen Smith got another big stop at the rim. Matas Buzelis pushed the tempo before finding Josh Giddey, who made a break for the basket before finding Caleb Wilson behind the arc. Cash.

Norman Powell was also a huge help, going a perfect 4-4 from the field and scoring 14 points in the quarter. He did exactly what he was brought in to do by helping a young team keep their head on straight.

The only problem for the Bulls is that the Knicks finally started to find their rhythm from downtown. A 22-7 run that featured five triples helped the Knicks cut the deficit to 96-90 heading into the fourth quarter. They would eventually steal the lead back early in the fourth quarter, and it became a back-and-forth game.

So, yes, the Bulls still need to learn how to actually hold onto a lead, but this third quarter showed some genuine growth. If you're Tiago Splitter, you'll take that.