New York Knicks vs Chicago Bulls: Betting odds and prediction
By Mark Wessol
The New York Knicks host the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden Thursday at 7:30 ET.
This will mark their third matchup of the season so far, where the Knicks won the first and lost the second game.
The Knicks will continue to try and improve their home record after a disappointing 5-6 start.
The Knicks need to start protecting MSG if they want to have hopes of playoff success, and a win against a very talented Bulls team would be a great momentum starter.
The betting lines will certainly be affected by the last ten games for each ball club, Knicks 4-6 and Bulls 6-4 along with their previous close matchups.
NY Knicks vs. Bulls odds, spread, over/under:
According to Wynnbet, the Knicks enter this game as 2-point underdogs and the Bulls as 2-point favorites coming into Madison Square Garden.
The over/under for this game is currently set at 210 total points.
The Knicks’ Moneyline is set at +105 with the Bulls at -125.
Do you think the New York Knicks take out the Bulls tonight?
The Bulls have been playing good basketball so far for having a brand new roster, and the Knicks have been playing to the level of their competition, not having too many “blowout” wins or losses.
NY Knicks vs. Bulls prediction:
Similar to the past two matchups for these teams, I expect this game to be a tight one.
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan will inevitably cause havoc for the Knicks, so the question will be if the Knicks can trade punches, and my answer is yes.
The Knicks continue to show the ability to dig themselves out of holes they make themselves.
Just on Tuesday night, the Knicks were able to erase a 16-point deficit late in the third quarter against Brooklyn, the number one team in the Eastern Conference.
They ultimately fell short, but it was an encouraging performance.
Not just Tuesday Night, but the Knicks have looked really solid against two very good teams now in Atlanta and Brooklyn and I think the Kemba Walker-less Knicks will continue to click.
For the Bulls, everyone knows about DeRozan and LaVine, but keep an eye on center Nikola Vucevic who is coming off a 30 point game against the Charlotte Hornets.
Vucevic has a great touch and doesn’t mind stepping out of the paint for a mid-range, or even a three-pointer.
If he is able to hit shots and bring out the Knicks rim protectors, it could be a long night for New York.
Not much separates these two teams and the betting odds agree with me, but with the Knicks coming back home, my pick would be to take the Knicks to cover the spread at +2.