"One of the perks for those who play for Mike D'Antoni is freedom. D'Antoni encourages players to shoot early, shoot often and shoot from far, far away.

That privilege, though, is not without its faults. The Knicks attempted a franchise-record 47 3-pointers, including an N.B.A. benchmark 29 in the first half, against the Chicago Bulls. They made only 16, frittering away an early 17-point margin along the way before falling, 98-89, at the United Center on Thursday night.

"It just happens that way," D'Antoni said. "Some were good and some were jacked up. They went in early for us and that's how we got into taking them."

The Knicks (8-17) located a steady rhythm last week, only to lose it somewhere between New York, Charlotte and here. They alternate between progress and regression nearly as often as they freely hoist 3-pointers. More than half of their 86 attempts were 3-pointers, compared with only nine attempts from the Bulls, who outscored the Knicks, 29-17, in the fourth quarter.

The Knicks eclipsed a previous franchise high of 41 attempted 3-pointers set in this season's home opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. They finished a mere two from the N.B.A. record of 49 3-point attempts, established by the Dallas Mavericks in 1996. After taking away wins and some self-esteem against some of the league's top-tier teams, including the Suns, the Hawks and the Trail Blazers, the Knicks have lost against two struggling teams - the Bobcats and the Bulls. Another laggard, the Los Angeles Clippers, arrives Friday at Madison Square Garden.

Danilo Gallinari attempted 15 3-pointers and made 6. Al Harrington (13), Chris Duhon (10) and Wilson Chandler (6) were not far behind. Duhon, with 5, was the only Knick who converted at least half his attempts. During one stretch they missed 15 straight.

"That's our game," Duhon said. "We're not going to go away from our game. We are going to keep shooting.""