Chicago Bulls vs. NY Knicks Picks & Predictions

Chicago Bulls (43-31 SU, 39-34-1 ATS) vs. New York Knicks (33-42 SU, 35-40-0 ATS)
When: Monday March 28 2022, 07:30 PM (ET)
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: NBCSCH

Point Spread: CHI -5/NYK +5 (Opened CHI -4.5 at WagerWeb)
Total: 223.5 (Opened at 224)
Money Line: Chicago -201/New York 165
Power Rating: CHI -6

Probable Starting Lineups

Chicago Bulls PG Ayo Dosunmu, SG Alex Caruso, SF Zach LaVine, PF DeMar DeRozan, C Nikola Vucevic
New York Knicks PG Alec Burks, SG Evan Fournier, SF R.J. Barrett, PF Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson

Key Injuries

Chicago Bulls Lonzo Ball: Knee (OUT)

New York Knicks Quentin Grimes: Knee (QUESTIONABLE) Derrick Rose: Ankle (OUT) Nerlens Noel: Foot (OUT) Cam Reddish: Shoulder (OUT) Kemba Walker: Conditioning (OUT)

The New York Knicks host the Chicago Bulls in an Eastern-Conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 07:30 PM ET at the Madison Square Garden.

Recent Form

The Chicago Bulls come into this game with an overall record of 43-31, placing them 5th in the Eastern Conference. Throughout the season, Chicago has struggled in their 38 road contests, sitting at 17-21. Over the Bulls’ last five games, they have picked up just 2 wins. In this stretch, Chicago’s offense is scoring right in line with their season average, putting up 104.0 points per game. Combined, the Bulls’ last five opponents are giving up 108.0 points per contest. A key reason for Chicago’s recent struggles is a defensive unit giving up 115.0 points over their previous five contests. This figure is up from their season average of 111.2. In the Chicago Bulls’ most recent game, Chicago took down Cleveland by a score of 98-94

The New York Knicks come into this game with an overall record of 33-42, placing them 11th in the Eastern Conference. Throughout the season, New York has struggled in their 36 home contests, sitting at 15-21. The Knicks have played well over their last five games, picking up 3 wins. In this stretch, New York’s offense is scoring right in line with their season average, putting up 108.0 points per game. Combined, the Knicks’ last five opponents are giving up 110.0 points per contest. The Knicks have been picking up victories while holding opponents to an average of 107.0 points per game, similar to their average of 106.8. In the New York Knicks’ most recent game, New York took down Detroit by a score of 104-102.

Individual Player Analysis

As Chicago travels to take on the New York Knicks, the Bulls’ leading scorer is DeMar DeRozan. Through 68 games, DeRozan is averaging 27 points. On the season, he has surpassed his season average in 51.0% of his games. As DeRozan gets set to take on the Knicks, he could be in line for a big game as New York is allowing their opponent’s top scorer to surpass their season average in 54.55% of their games. This figure places them 25th among NBA defenses. On the other side, Julius Randle leads the Knicks in scoring, averaging 20 points across his 70 games. Throughout the season, Randle has outscored his season average in 47.0% of his outings. On the season, the Bulls have allowed their opponent’s top scorer to surpass their season average in 48.39% of their games, giving them a rank of 15th among NBA defenses.

Matchup Analysis

The Bulls come into this game as the more efficient offensive team, averaging 110.0 points per 100 possessions. When playing as the superior offensive unit, Chicago is winning at a rate of 46%. These victories are coming by an average margin of 8.0 points. On the other side, the Knicks hold the advantage on the defensive end of the floor. So far, they have played 24 games as the better defensive team, picking up 10 wins (42%).

The Historicals

Heading into today’s matchup, the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks have met up for 3 games. In their last meeting, Chicago picked up a 119-115 win.

How the Public is Betting the Bulls vs Knicks

67% are betting the Bulls against the spread.
52% are wagering on the game to go over the posted total of 223.5

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Betting Trends Worth Noting

• Bulls are 34-16-1 ATS in their last 51 games as a favorite.
• Bulls are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a road favorite.
• Knicks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
• Knicks are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog.

Joe’s Pick to Cover the Spread

Heading into this matchup, the Chicago Bulls are right in the middle of a tightly contested battle for the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. In tonight’s game, the Bulls will hope to continue their trend of beating up on teams below them in the standings. However, New York gets set to host Chicago, having won 3 straight games. Even with this recent effort, it is still unlikely that they work their way into the play-in tournament. Despite being the underdogs, New York has a clear advantage on the boards and scoring in the paint. Look for Chicago to pull out the win but the Knicks to cover.