The New York Knicks (29-43) play the visiting Chicago Bulls (36-34) at Madison Square Garden. The game begins at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 24 and can be seen on CSC and MSG.
The Knicks come into this game on a high note after beating the Bulls 115-107 on Wednesday. Kristaps Porzingis fueled the Knicks, recording 29 points and 10 rebounds to notch his 19th double-double this season.
The stingy Bulls defense appears to have an advantage when it comes to effective field goal percentage. They rank third in the league in making teams miss (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 48.1%), whereas the cold-shooting offense of New York is 28th with a mark of 48.3%.
The Knicks are hoping to improve on their records of 29-43 Straight Up (SU) and 38-33-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 29-43 SU and 38-33-1 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are a phenomenal shooting team from the line with an NBA-best .808 free throw percentage. Crossing over to the defensive end of the court, the Knicks prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking fourth in the league with 540 total three-pointers allowed (7.0 per game). New York has given up very few turnovers with only an average of 12.5 per game.
On the other side, the Bulls have a record of 29-41 ATS and 36-34 SU. When traveling to play against teams in the Eastern Conference, Chicago has a record of SU, but only 13-20 ATS. The Bulls have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the league at .438.
New York beat Chicago in their most recent meeting this season, but the win was not enough to overtake Chicago in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. However, with a 6-4 record, the Knicks have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi
Notes
“New York is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 11 of New York’s last 13 games “.
“New York is 2-8-1 ATS in its last 11 games at home”.
“New York is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York’s last 5 games at home”.
“New York is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games when playing Chicago”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York’s last 5 games when playing Chicago”.
New York ranks 26th in points per game with 98.7, while Chicago ranks 15th in points allowed with an average of 103.0 given up.
On average, New York puts up 99.3 points per home game (ranked 26th), while Chicago gives up 106.3 points per away game (ranked 23rd).
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the New York Knicks have a 19-15 record. When they don’t reach the century mark, the Chicago Bulls have a subpar record of 11-19.
The New York Knicks have a losing 10-28 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Chicago Bulls are 25-15 when they hit triple digits.
The Knicks have an offensive rating of 103.2 (ranked 21st). The Bulls rank 13th for their defensive rating of 103.9.
New York averages fewer possessions per game than Chicago, with 95.7 compared to 99.6. However, the Knicks score an average of 1.032 points per possession, more than the 1.023 that the Bulls score.
The New York Knicks average an effective field goal percentage of 48.3% this season. The Chicago Bulls have a subpar record of 7-23 when opponents have an EFF% of 48.3% or greater.
New York makes an average of 20.4 assists per game (ranked 26th). Chicago ranks higher in assists with 22.8 (ranked 11th).
The New York Knicks average 5.7 blocks per game for a rank of ninth. The Chicago Bulls rank higher (seventh), earning 5.7 blocks each contest.
New York ranks in the top half of the NBA in offensive rebounding at 15th, while Chicago ranks near the top of the league (second) in defensive rebounding.
New York makes an average of 5.6 steals per game. When Chicago gives up 5 or more steals, the team has an even 32-32 record.
