Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks: An Eastern Conference classic
The New York Knicks are hosting the Chicago Bulls today at Madison Square Garden.
The Bulls are still searching for their identity
The Chicago Bulls are 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 4-7 record, including 3-3 on the road. They have lost 5 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 119-113 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls are sixth in the league making 15.4 three-pointers per game and rank 13th scoring 114.6 points per game. Zach LaVine leads the team averaging 22.5 points per game followed by Nikola Vucevic who has 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
The Knicks are at .500
The New York Knicks are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 5-5 record, including 2-1 at home. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games but are coming off a 111-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks are fourth in the league shooting 49.1% from the field and seventh shooting 38.5% from behind the arc. Jalen Brunson leads the team averaging 25 points and 6.6 assists per game.
Betting Trends
The Knicks are 7-2 SU in their last 9 home games against the Bulls and 12-6 SU in their last 18 games played in November. They are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 4-1 ATS in their last five home games played on Wednesday. New York has played under the total point line in 4 of their last 5 home games and has gone over in their last 5 games played on Wednesday. The Bulls are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games overall, 2-6 SU in their last 8 games against New York, 2-7 SU in their last 9 games when visiting the Knicks and 1-7 SU in their last 8 games against teams from the Atlantic Division. They are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall, 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games played in November. Chicago has played over the total point line in 7 of their last 10 games on the road.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both the Knicks and the Bulls are not playing as well as they expected. The Bulls are in a big problem since their top scorer Zach LaVine is out and Lonzo Ball has yet to return, even though they were optimistic that they will be able to count on him this season. The Knicks made significant changes in the offseason and are still searching for their identity with Karl-Anthony Towns in the middle. There is no doubt that the Knicks are the favorites in this one, but the Bulls will not go down without a fight. The total point line is set at 227.5, which is the highest in their last 10 games. Five of those went under, so with such a high line, we go with the under in this one as well.
