Knicks vs Bulls Betting Odds: Eastern Conference Showdown in Chicago

Bulls Desperate to Find Form

The Chicago Bulls will be hoping to string together some wins as they return home off a horrible OT loss in Atlanta against the undermanned Hawks. Let’s take a look at the Knicks vs Bulls Betting Odds for what will be a pivtoal showdown for two teams trying to cement themselves in the playoff picture.

The Bulls have won just two of their last six games and currently sit four games under .500 as the possibility of missing the playoffs starts to creep toward being a horrible reality for the franchise.

Things won’t come easy against the Knicks either, with New York currently riding a four-game win streak that has pushed them up into the six seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls opened as 3.5 point favorites for this one and took some early money that has the line sitting at -4.0 in most places. The full game total is set at 224.5 points.

Knicks Hope for Brunson Boost

Jalen Brunson has been pivotal to the offensive success of the Knicks this season and the team will be hoping he’s available to start their three-game road trip.

Brunson is currently listed as questionable on the official NBA injury report and his absence could leave the Knicks in a tough spot given what he does in initiating this offense.

The Knicks are +7.1 points per 100 possessions better when Brunson is on the floor this season, with his impact at that end of the floor ranking in the 90th percentile in the league.

If he isn’t good to go it’ll have a big impact on this total more than anything else from a market standpoint given how he also rates as a net-negative defender on the floor this season. Teams are +10.0 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the floor and own a +6.5% effective field goal average making him one of the worst contributors in the NBA at that end of the floor.

That said, there’s no denying that the Knicks are a far better Basketball team with him in the rotation and the fact the line is leaning so favourably in Chicago’s direction indicates that he might not be able to participate in this one.

Bulls Mired in Mediocrity

Chicago have found themselves in a difficult position moving forward. The team is a long way from competing despite building a core that was meant to elevate them toward the top of the conference and yet, they’re a long way off rebuilding through the draft given what’s still on their payroll.

Decisions undoubtedly need to be made in the near future and the upcoming month could play a pivotal role in tipping management’s hand one way or the other.

The team simply look like a completely different unit without Lonzo Ball and the former Laker isn’t set to return anytime soon to give them the primary playmaking, floor spacing and elite defending that the roster so desperately craves.

A loss at home to the Knicks would be disastrous and the effort we see form the NBA players could also give us an indication of how committed they are to this NBA season and their head coach, Billy Donovan.

The team owns a negative net rating on the season and are bottom-10 in the league in Offensive Rating. Their defense has been respectable for the most part but the advanced metrics suggest they’re due for some regression on that end of the floor as well.

Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan should get favourable matchups and if they can get into a rhythm early it will set the tone for the team, who will also want to be able to rely on their home crowd.

If Brunson is out they should be able to pack the paint and limit the space for Julius Randle to operate. Offensively, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan should get favourable matchups and if they can get into a rhythm early it will set the tone for the team, who will also want to be able to rely on their home crowd.

Given the status of Brunson the best angle here would be to play the Under on the full game total. Be sure to check back in for more NBA betting tips, NBA point spread
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