Effort wasn’t an issue for the New York Knicks on Thursday night. Talent was.

The undermanned Knicks fought for 48 minutes against the Chicago Bulls but came up short to lose their third straight game.

New York fell to 5-23, the worst record in franchise history through 28 games.

With Derrick Rose out, Chicago was led by Jimmy Butler, who had 35 points on 11-for-21 shooting.

Pau Gasol had 20 points, including a layup in traffic to put Chicago up three with under a minute to play. Gasol’s layup basically sealed the win for the Bulls, who have taken seven straight home games against the Knicks.

Short-handed: With Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert out, the Knicks started five players that Derek Fisher probably never thought he’d ask to start a game.

Jose Calderon and Tim Hardaway Jr. started in the backcourt along side Travis Wear, Amar'e Stoudemire and Cole Aldrich in the frontcourt.

The Knicks battled throughout, going on a 7-0 run to cut Chicago’s lead to one with under five minutes to play. But they couldn’t get over the hump. Anthony sat due to soreness in his right knee.

STAT suits up: Stoudemire didn’t think he was going to play in the morning but told reporters he was going to suit up with Anthony out. Say what you want about Stoudemire, but he has shown strong leadership qualities for a Knicks team in transition this season. Stoudemire had 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Knicks with 23 points.

Question: Do you think Carmelo Anthony should sit out for an extended period?