Bulls vs Knicks

Thib and D-Rose (okay, okay, and Ryan Arcidiacono) return to the UC.

The Knicks are in many ways a typically Thibs-ian team at present, with an old-school shot profile and a surprisingly robust defense. Would I rather have rim-rolling, hyper-athletic Mitchell Robinson, even with his lengthy injury history, than Nikola Vucevic manning the middle for Chicago? The Knicks also have depth at center. Brunson and Julius Randle (who’s having a sneaky-good, semi-comeback season) are the Knicks’ most formidable scoring threats. Non-DDR Bulls being [less-than-clutch](https://www.blogabull.com/2022/12/13/23507509/the-bulls-have-been-bad-in-the-clutch-and-zach-lavine-is-leading-that-problem) sure didn’t help matters much, either. Chicago will play New York three times over the next 10 days, today’s and Friday’s game being at home.

Here's everything you need to know before the Chicago Bulls take on the New York Knicks in their 27th game of the 2022-23 regular season.

- Dec. That being said, Chicago’s solid 7-5 record at home and increasing levels of desperation to save the season have me leaning with the Bulls here — if only ever so slightly. Before Alex Caruso went down with a brief injury, he earned a temporary bump up into the starting lineup. Gambling odds and information courtesy of FanDuel. This is precisely why winning against the visiting Knicks will be crucial toward leveraging long-term success and making a genuine run at the playoffs. Fortunately, things should lighten up here soon, beginning with a pair of home games against the middling New York Knicks.

Find Bulls vs. Knicks predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the December 14 NBA matchup.

NBA odds, picks, and predictions for the New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls on December 14. NBA betting best bet and free pick analysis.

Two other factors here: the Knicks have slowed things down considerably and are a Bottom-10 team in pace during this successful stretch. Zach LaVine has been up and down this year, and the Knicks will likely throw aggressive looks at him and force him into bad shots. For the season, Chicago's offense has been disappointing (110.7 offensive rating, 19th highest in the NBA). I'm banking on the hot team to do so. The Knicks' defense has been dominant lately, pressuring offenses into bad shots and turnovers. The Knicks are traveling on the road in this one, but they've fared well with an 8-5 ATS record away from Madison Square Garden. The Bulls being favorites tonight is odd, as the Knicks are playing exceptionally well lately, with incredible defense and Julius Randle finding his groove. The Bulls don't have anyone who might suggest they can slow him down significantly. Alex Caruso will likely be back in the lineup, which is a positive, but he's been banged up of late. His numbers are down across the board and tonight's matchup likely won't see him return to his dominant ways. They've allowed just 7.5 made threes per contest, tops in the NBA over that span. They lead the league in defensive rating by 5.8 points over that four-game span.