Here's everything you need to know about Bulls vs. Knicks on Sunday, April 14 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.
The Bulls will travel to Manhattan to take on a Knicks team seeking to jump up to the 2-seed in the East. Can the Knicks defend home court, or will the Bulls pull off a massive upset?
Let's dig into the NBA odds and make a Bulls vs. Knicks prediction.
Chicago BullsThe Bulls have nothing to play for here as they are locked into a 9-10 matchup with the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament.
We saw them rest all of their key players outside of Coby White and still manage to pull off a two-point win over the Wizards on Friday night. I’d expect most of their key players to sit again against this Knicks team, so we should see a heavy dose of Dalen Terry, Adama Sanogo and Jevon Carter considering those players had the highest usage rates Friday night.
Sanogo was able to bully the Wizards down low and on the offensive glass, but the Wizards were playing without a true center. Sanogo should struggle against arguably the best rebounding duo in the league in centers Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson. New York ranks fifth in defensive rebound rate this season.
New York KnicksThe Knicks should blow this Bulls squad out assuming they play all of their starters. The only reason they might not play their starters is the reality that they could probably avoid the 76ers with a loss. But knowing coach Tom Thibodeau, we should expect them not to rest and to gun for the 2-seed with a guaranteed home-court advantage in the second round.
The Knicks failed to cover a large spread against the Nets on Friday night, but that was a game against an experienced squad that has some familiarity playing the Knicks. This version of the Bulls is filled with borderline NBA players who have never played a team with the amount of talent the Knicks have. This current line at -14.5 seems to indicate the Bulls will be resting the vast majority of their starters.
Bulls vs. KnicksBetting Pick & Prediction
I’d lean towards the Knicks on the spread here considering this Bulls squad is at a massive talent disadvantage.
It’s one thing to defeat a tanking Wizards squad, but its another thing for a young team to travel to New York and defeat a competent and deep Knicks squad on the road. I expect the Knicks to blow this Bulls team out as they look to climb to second in the East.
Pick: Knicks -14.5