New York Knicks vs Chicago Bulls NBA Betting Preview & Odds
Eastern Conference hoops and we will see the New York Knicks travel to the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls. ESPN will carry this game, which has a start time of 8:00 pm EST.
Current betting odds for this game have the have the Bulls listed as 6.5 point favorites, while the total has been set at 206.
Head-To-Head This Year: New York won the first matchup 107-9 as a 2.5 point home favorite… Chicago won the 2nd meeting 108-81 as a 7 point home favorite.
This has not been a fun year for the New York Knicks as they are 28-43 overall, including just 12-24 on the road. New York has lost their last three in a row and they have averaged just 87.6 ppg in their last five games. This is not a team that is getting any better as the season has gone on. The Knicks have 6 players that average at least 8.2 ppg and they are led by who else by Carmelo Anthony, who comes in averaging 21.8 ppg, while also leading them in rebounding at 8.0 rpg. Kristaps Porzingis has been solid in his first year in the NBA, putting up 13.9 ppg and grabbing 7.2 rpg. Rounding out the double digit scorers for the Knicks is Arron Afflalo (13.7 ppg) and Robin Lopez (10.3 ppg). New York enters this game ranked 26th in the league in scoring, putting up just 98.5 ppg, while also ranking 26th in shooting overall and 23rd in 3-point shooting, but they are tops in the league at the charity stripe. At the defensive end of the floor they have been decent as they come in at 11th in points allowed, giving up 101.4 ppg, while also ranking 10th in defensive FG% overall and 7th in 3-point defense.On the road the Knicks have averaged 97.8 ppg on 43.6% shooting, while allowing 102.1 ppg on 44.4% shooting.
Trends: The Knicks are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 vs. NBA Central and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss, but just 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games following a ATS loss and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. The Over is 5-1 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning straight up record, while the Under is 16-5 in their last 21 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
The Chicago Bulls come in playing solid ball as they have won their last three game, with all three wins coming at home. THe Bulls are now 36-33 on the year overall, including 24-12 at home and if the playoffs started today the Bulls would have the 8th spot in the East. They are tied with Detroit for that spot but have the tiebreaker, while they are also just a half a game behind the Pacers for the 7th slot. The Bulls have just 5 players that average more than 7.9 ppg and are led by Jimmy Butler, who averages 21.7 ppg, while Derrick Rose is 2nd at 16.7 ppg. The Bulls are glad to have him healthy, but they also wish the had Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah back, who are both gone for the year. Rounding out the double digit scorers on the team is Nikola Mirotic (10.5 ppg). Overall the the Bulls come in ranked 19th in the league in scoring, putting up 101.8 ppg, while also ranking 25th in shooting overall, but they are a solid 3rd from long range and 9th from the charity stripe. The defensive numbers are decent as they come in ranked 15th in points allowed, giving up 102.9 ppg, while also ranking 4th defensive FG% overall and 5th in 3-point defense. At home the Bulls have averaged 101.6 ppg on 44.4% shooting, while allowing 99.7 ppg on 4487% shooting.
Trends: The Bulls are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400 and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games, but just 6-14 ATS in their last 20 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game and 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games playing on 1 days rest. The Over is 5-1-1 the last 7 in the series, while the Under is 5-1 in Chicago’s last 6 games following a straight up win.
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