The New York Knicks (0-3) will get an opportunity to earn their first win of the young season on Monday when they host a comparable Chicago Bulls team that has just one victory in three games so far this year. The Knicks have won three of the past four meetings with the Bulls both straight up and against the spread, according to the Odds Shark NBA Database.
- Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks (Matchup Report)
- Date/Time: October 28, 7 p.m. ET
- TV Coverage: MSG
- Sportsbook Odds: Chicago -1 | O/U 219 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The point spread has stayed the same in early betting action while the total has jumped 5 points, maybe because both of these teams are very poor defensively. New York is surrendering an average of 117 points while Chicago is not much better at 112 per game.
Chicago News & Notes
The Bulls were blown out 118-84 by the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors in their home opener Saturday, also failing to come close to covering the spread as 3-point underdogs. The total also went UNDER in their second straight game after they had defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 110-102 as 2-point road favorites on Friday in the first game of a back-to-back situation.
Wendell Carter Jr. and Zach LaVine were the only starters to score in double figures against the Raptors, combining for 23 points, while Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter each finished with nine. Markkanen has really struggled with his shooting in the last two games, making just seven of 25 shots from the field, including 2-for-16 from three-point range. This after he erupted for 35 points and 17 rebounds in the season opener last Wednesday.
New York News & Notes
Rookie RJ Barrett has played well in his first three games for the Knicks even though it has not translated to his first NBA win on the court yet. Barrett is playing a team-high 36.3 minutes per game and averaging 21 points following a career-high 26 in a 118-95 loss to the Boston Celtics as 5-point home underdogs on Saturday.
Like Chicago, New York has seen the UNDER cash in two consecutive games after the team’s season opener went OVER. The problem is, the Knicks have scored progressively fewer points in each of their first three games. However, their first three opponents were more talented and closed as favorites of 5 points or more, something that will not be the case here vs Chicago in a near pick’em matchup.
Betting Pick: OVER 224
This is such a toss-up game with regards to the spread that it makes much more sense to ride with the early bettors and take the OVER. The OVER is 17-11-1 in the past 29 meetings.
- New York is 3-1 SU and ATS in the past 4 meetings with Chicago.
- New York is 3-9 SU in its last 12 home games.
- Chicago is 3-8 SU in its last 11 road games.
