The Knicks’ late-season surge continued and they hardly needed Julius Randle to beat the Bulls 109-104 at the Garden.
For the second straight day, Alec Burks hit the game-sealing corner 3-pointer with 22 seconds left off a great feed from Immanuel Quickley that stretched the Knicks’ lead to four.
Burks finished with 27 points, hitting 5 of 10 3-pointers and RJ Barrett pumped in 28 but missed a turnaround jumper and a free throw in the final minute.
With Randle benched most of the fourth quarter, Obi Toppin (17 points) gave the Knicks a spark as they swept the back-to-back to keep alive — barely — their play-in tournament hopes.
The Knicks are 9-4 in their last 13 games but stayed 4 ½ games behind Atlanta as the Hawks prevailed over the Pacers.
They won their season-high fourth straight without needing anything from Randle, who decided to suit up on the second night of a back-to-back despite a sore quad and finished with five points (1 of 9 from the field).
Game Break 