The Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks have already met twice this season, with each team taking a victory. This Friday, they meet again, with the Knicks as hosts for this showdown. Who gets the W at the Mecca of basketball?
Catch this game live on Friday, December 3, at 8:30, Manila time.
Away: Chicago Bulls (14-8/7-4 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Lonzo Ball
- SG: Zach LaVine
- SF: Javonte Green
- PF: DeMar DeRozan
- C: Nikola Vucevic
Windy City must be very thankful for the Bulls. With the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Blackhawks both not doing alright, the Bulls have become the toast of Chicago. The Bulls, however, have been a bit inconsistent in their past few games, going 4-3 in their last seven. That stretch includes their 109-103 win against the Knicks on Nov. 22 at home. In their most recent outing, the Bulls thumped the Charlotte Honts at United Center Tuesday in a 133-119 victory.
The veteran duo of Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan led the way for the Bulls. Vucevic muscled out 30 points and 14 rebounds, while DeRozan dropped 28 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field. DeRozan is having a second wind of sorts in his career in Chicago, and he also certainly loves playing against the Knicks, as he has scored 51 points in two games versus New York, so far this season. The Bulls, who are limiting opponents to only 104.6 points per game, have covered the spread in six of their last 10 contests in which they are the road.
Home: New York Knicks (11-10/6-4 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Alec Burks
- SG: Evan Fournier
- SF: RJ Barrett (DTD)
- PF: Julius Randle
- C: Mitchell Robinson
The Knicks got so close to upsetting the Brooklyn Nets on the road on Wednesday but ultimately fell short in a 112-110 loss to Kevin Durant and company. If anything, keeping in step with Brooklyn in enemy territory was some sort of a moral victory for the Knicks, who are averaging 106.5 points per game. Unlike in the first meeting with the Bulls, Friday’s contest might not feature Kemba Walker at all. Walker has been taken out of the rotation by head coach Tom Thibodeau, with Alec Burks getting a huge bump in minutes as a result. Burks came up big in the Brooklyn game, scoring 25 points to lead the Knicks, while Julius Randle generated 24 points with eight assists and nine rebounds.
Speaking of Randle, he nearly had a triple-dub in the Knicks’ 104-103 road win against Chicago on Oct. 29, posting 13 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists. The first two games between the Knicks and Bulls this season were played in Chicago, so New York will look to feed off the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden this time around. The Knicks are 4-0 straight up and 4-0 against the spread in their last four home games against Chicago, dating back to 2019.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Knicks impress their home crowd and hangs with the Bulls to get at least a cover (+2).
Over/Under: The last two games between these teams both went Under, so it’s not a bad idea to look at the Under (213.5).
