One team is trying to stave off elimination, while another hopes to avoid the play-in tournament in an important, regular-season game between the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday in Madison Square Garden.
New York (33-42) is winners of three straight but still has 4.5 games to make up to make the play-in tournament with seven games to play. One of the league’s most disappointing teams after a playoff appearance a season ago, New York has struggled offensively.
Chicago (43-31) is currently the fifth seed and sits two games and spots ahead of Cleveland, which is slated for the play-in tournament, and 3.5 games behind top-seeded Miami and Chicago. The top four teams in the Eastern Conference are separated by a half-game, with the Bulls behind them.
The line opened at Chicago -4.5 with an over/under of 223.5. It has since moved to Chicago -3.5 with an over/under of 219.5 as of this writing.
New York Knicks Betting Preview: Crash the glass
New York is third in the league in rebounding, pulling in 46.3 per game, and if it can win the rebounding margin and muck the game up defensively, it gives them a chance. The Knicks are seventh defensively, holding teams to 106.8 points per game. Teams are also shooting 44.7% from the field (fifth) and 34.4% on 3-pointers (eighth).
Offensively, the Knicks are a solid 3-point shooting team, converting 35.6% for 11th in the league. But they struggle inside the arc and at the free-throw line, ranking 27th and 26th, respectively.
Kemba Walker, Cam Reddish, Derrick Rose, and Nerlens Noel all remain out for the season, while Quentin Grimes is questionable Monday. The recent resurgence is impressive, all things considered, and R.J. Barrett’s emergence has been a big help.
Chicago Bulls Betting Preview: Efficiency matters
The Bulls are one of the best offensive teams in terms of efficiency in the NBA. On the opposite end of the floor, they are one of the worst.
They are only 11th in points per game at 111.6 per, but they are second in field goal percentage (48.1%) and 3-point percentage (37.1%) and are fifth at the free-throw line (81.0%). Flip to the other end, and they are 24th in opposing field goal percentage (47.0%) and 3-point percentage (36.2%).
They should try to make this a higher-scoring game to give their offense more chances with that efficiency, especially since the Knicks’ strengths are reversed. Pushing after every rebound and live-ball turnover is key.
Lonzo Ball remains out, but Chicago has most of its core with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Co. healthy for the stretch run.
Betting Prediction
Chicago has excelled at home but is also a respectable 17-21 on the road. The Bulls are 39-34-1 against the spread and 35-38-1 on over/unders this season. They’re in a tough stretch through, having lost 10 of their last 14 games straight up, and are 3-11 against the spread in those games.
New York went 3-17 in a 20-game stretch before its recent 8-4 stretch. For the season, the Knicks are 15-21 at the Garden, 35-40-0 against the spread, and 38-37 on over/unders.
The Bulls have not beaten a top-3 seed in either conference, which means they’re beating up on everyone else, and that should continue against a Knicks team with little motivation. Chicago should cover the 3.5-point spread.
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