The New York Knicks head to the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 28 and will air on MSG and WGN.
The Bulls beat the Raptors 116-103 on Wednesday. Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 23 points on 7-for-8 shooting. The Knicks, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 111-80 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday. Cleanthony Early had a team-high 18 points.
Nikola Mirotic has really been playing well as of late for the Bulls, averaging 21.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 three-pointers over the last five games.
The defense for Chicago should have a clear edge in terms of effective field goal percentage. They rank second in the league in forcing misses (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 47.5%), while the offense of New York is 27th with a mark of 46.9%.
The Bulls have won both contests against the Knicks this season, including a 103-97 victory in their last matchup. Butler scored a game-high 35 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Bulls look to build on their records of 44-29 Straight Up (SU) and 34-39 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 27-16 SU and 21-22 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are an exceptional shooting team from the line with 19.8 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. The Bulls have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the third-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 45.7 per game, while the Knicks rank 29th in the league with 40.4 per game. Turning to the defensive end, the Bulls have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 6.4 three-pointers made per game.
On the other side, New York has a SU record of 14-58 and an ATS record of 27-43-2. New York has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 3-7.
Chicago won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Knicks to 8-2 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, the Bulls lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Chicago held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last 10, while New York wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHI, ATS Winner – CHI
Notes
On average, New York puts up 91.9 points per game (ranked 29th), while Chicago gives up 98.7 points per game (ranked 12th).
New York ranks 28th in points per away game with 92.6 points, while Chicago ranks 16th in points allowed at home with 98.6.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Bulls are 30-9 on the season. When the Knicks score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 6-52.
The Chicago Bulls have a 14-20 record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The New York Knicks have an 8-6 record when they register triple digits.
The Knicks have a defensive rating of 107.4 (ranked 29th). The Bulls rank 10th for their offensive rating of 104.6.
The Chicago Bulls average 96.6 possessions and 1.046 points per possession in games this season. The New York Knicks average fewer possessions with 94.4, as well as fewer points per possession with .974.
The Chicago Bulls average an effective field goal percentage of 48.9% this season. The New York Knicks have an abysmal record of 3-43 when opponents have an EFF% of 48.9% or greater.
Chicago makes an average of 21.7 assists per game (ranked 13th), while New York makes 21.3 assists per game (ranked 19th).
The Chicago Bulls average 5.9 blocks per game for a rank of fifth. The New York Knicks rank lower (19th), earning 4.5 blocks each game.
Chicago is ranked eighth in offensive rebounding. New York ranks 29th in defensive rebounds.
New York makes an average of 7.1 steals per game. Chicago has a winning 28-17 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
