The Knicks lost in a track meet against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night by a score of 135-125.

Here are the takeaways…

— Mitchell Robinson made his season debut as the center was in New York’s starting lineup for the first time this year. He played six minutes in the opening quarter and grabbed four rebounds, looking like the player the Knicks have had in the past and are hoping for this season. Robinson finished with 11 rebounds, four points and two assists in 20 minutes.

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— Even with Robinson back in the fold, the Bulls had no problem putting points on the board, especially near the basket. They scored 35 in the first quarter, 16 of which came in the paint, and 37 in the second, led by Josh Giddey, who had 21 points in the first half by catching fire from deep. Nikola Vucevic also saw a couple of long-range shots go down as Chicago drained eight three-pointers in the second quarter to New York’s four (all by different players).

— As for the Knicks, they weren’t able to keep up the same offensive pace as the Bulls and were outscored 72-53 heading into halftime. Right before the buzzer, though, Mikal Bridges drained a 33-foot three-pointer (right after Giddey made his fourth of the quarter) to give New York something to cheer about in the locker room.

— It must’ve worked because the Knicks’ offense went to work to open up the third quarter, which included a 26-9 run. Aside from a Robinson dunk, three free throws made by Jordan Clarkson and a late three by OG Anunoby, every other point in the quarter was scored by either Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns or Bridges. The trio had 30 of the team’s 38 points in the third quarter, which brought New York to within nine heading into the final frame after holding the Bulls to 28 points.

— The Knicks continued to apply pressure in the fourth quarter and they stayed hot from beyond the arc with Landry Shamet and Miles McBride joining in with some well-timed three-pointers off the bench. For the most part, though, it was New York’s starters who kept the team in the game. In fact, it was Anunoby (who went 5-for-7 from deep) who drilled two huge threes late in the fourth quarter to get the Knicks to within two points.

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— But whenever New York punched, Chicago was able to come right back with a big shot of its own. Ayo Dosunmu had a great game off the bench for the Bulls, scoring 22 points (more than the entire Knicks’ bench), including a clutch three in the fourth. He also had a game-high nine assists, four rebounds and a steal while shooting 80 percent from the field.

— Vucevic put the game away by scoring eight straight points for Chicago while New York suddenly went cold from the floor. Vucevic ended with 26 points while Giddey led everybody with 32 points to go along with 10 rebounds and nine assists.

— Brunson, Anunoby, Towns and Bridges all finished with more than 20 points, but it wasn’t enough as their defense let them down for a third straight game and allowed a whopping 135 points.

— Friday marked the first slate of games for this year’s NBA Cup group stage. In East Group C with the Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, the Knicks dropped their first of four games. No other teams in their group played on Friday night. New York’s next NBA Cup group stage game will be on Friday, Nov. 14, against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden.

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Game MVP: Josh Giddey

Giddey did it all, finishing one assist away from a triple-double. Honorable mention goes to Dosunmu, who was exceptional in a similar role off the bench.

HighlightsWhat’s next

The Knicks return home after a three-game road trip to take on the Bulls in a rematch at 7 p.m. on Sunday.