NBA: Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks Preview, Odds Prediction

The Chicago Bulls seek some consistency, and it would be fantastic for them to win in New York against the Knicks. This is the fourth straight game on the road for the Bulls, who need to start winning and regain some of the lost morale. Otherwise, they might start the playoff campaign in bad shape and finish the postseason run pretty quickly. Now that would be a huge disappointment for them and their fans. On the other side, NYK has played well in recent times, and they are coming back home from a two-stop tour, which saw them winning in Charlotte and Miami.

Preview

Chicago Bulls (43-21, -220) already visited Milwaukee, New Orleans, and Cleveland, beating only the Cavs during that stretch. The final result of this event was 98-94 for the Bulls, who managed to hold on in the final period and rebuff the Cavs push.

After a very good first half, Billy Donovan’s unit stopped. We don’t quite know what the reason for that is, but from what we’ve seen in the recent few weeks, the morale and confidence of the Bulls’ players are at the season-low.

Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan were two of the top scorers for the guests. LaVine had 25 points, while DeRozan dropped 20 with five assists. Nikola Vucevic opened the game well, yet he slowed down as it progressed. In the end, Vuch had 16 buckets and nine boards.

New York Knicks (32-42, +165) showed how they know to play when there is no pressure. Beating the Hornets, the Heat, and the Pistons on the road, is the ultimate proof that this crew has enough quality and potential to be a playoff contender, but also, it showed that Tom Thibodeau needs to develop their mentality.

The result in Charlotte was 121-106, and after that, they would defeat the Heat in Florida, 111-103. Last night, NY defeated the Pistons 104-102. The Knicks were relentless throughout the entire game, getting away with a victory in the end, holding off the Pistons.

RJ Barrett had 21 points with nine boards, and it is clear now that the young guard is running the show in NY. Julius Randle scored 20 with seven boards and five assists, while Alex Burks and Immanuel Quickley had 18 points each, having six boards. Quickley’s performances improved in the second part of the year, and if that had happened earlier, he would have been in the combination for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

Head to Head Games

We’ve seen three games between these teams so far in the 2021/22 campaign. The first meeting, which took place in Chicago, saw the Knicks winning 104-103. After that, the Bulls went on to beat NYK twice in a row, at home 109-103, and at the Madison Square Garden, with that game ending 119-115.

Prediction

The Bulls are very pale, while on the other side the Knicks are on the rise, but without several very important players. Their roster is thin right now, and the rotation shortened, which forces us to bet on the Bulls. Also, they are in a must-win situation due to the situation in the East standings. So, our final pick here is the Bulls to win. If they don’t that would be a very hard slap in the face for them.

Pick: Chicago Bulls win