Game Preview: New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls, April 5, 2024

After a comeback win last night at Madison Square Garden over the Kings, the New York Knicks (45-31) are in the skies and headed to the United Center to face the Chicago Bulls (36-40).

The Bulls may be the definition of a middling team. They have won five of their last 10 and rank 19th for both offensive and defensive ratings. Billy Donovan’s crew is third in the league for two-point attempts but 24th for completion. They don’t excel at anything in particular, but they do grab offensive boards (11 per game) and limit their turnovers.

The team’s nominal leader is veteran forward DeMar DeRozan. He currently tops Chicago for scoring with 23.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.3 rebounds. Feel free to let this midrange assassin air it out from beyond the arc—he takes only 2.8 shots from deep and converts only 32% of them.

In his fifth season, 23-year-old point guard Coby White is having his best year yet in Chicago, with 19.3 points per game, 5.2 assists, and 4.7 rebounds. He’s shooting 38% from deep on over seven attempts per game, and has started all but one of his games on the current campaign.

Third-year guard Ayo Dosunmu has averaged 12 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds this time out. His range has improved to 40% from deep. He scored only seven points in his last game against the Knicks, but he’s been a reliable scorer for Chicago over the last ten games, averaging 18.6 points and 4.6 assists over that span.

Rounding out Chi-Town’s starting lineup will likely be Alex Caruso (G, 10.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists) and Nikola Vucevic (C, 17.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists).

New York won their first meeting in January, 116-100. Julius Randle (out for the season, you might have heard) scored 35 points to lead everybody. After tonight, they will face the Bulls twice more in April. Three Chicago games in one month? Logic?

Prediction

ESPN.com gives New York a 56% chance of winning tonight. Fatigue: that is the operative term. Against Sacramento last night, the Knicks once again fell into a deep hole early and had to exert great effort to rally back. With OG Anunoby still out, they’re still operating with a short staff—and a winded one, at that. On the second night of a back-to-back. With travel.

New York is the better team, even without OG and Julius, however. Expect them to be a step slow through the first half tonight, but a strong third quarter will carry into the fourth. Ultimately our heroes will escape the land of deep-dish with a +5 victory.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (45-31) at Chicago Bulls (36-40)

When: 8 pm EST, Friday, April 5, 2024

Where: United Center, Chicago, IL

Watch: MSG

Follow: @ptknicksblog