The Chicago Bulls return to the United Center on Wednesday night to face Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks.
The Chicago Bulls dropped another chance to gain ground on a fellow Eastern Conference foe on Sunday, losing to the Atlanta Hawks in overtime. This week, they will have not one, but two chances to take down a 14-13 New York Knicks team at the United Center with games against New York on Wednesday and Friday evening.
The New York Knicks enter these games currently on a four-game winning streak, holding opponents to 102 points or less in all four of those contests, including games against Cleveland, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Sacramento. To see the Knicks as underdogs and the total remaining in the mid-220’s is a bit interesting and could be telling that the Chicago Bulls may have a strong showing tonight.
The injury report for both teams is fairly noteworthy. The Bulls’ includes a probable designation for Alex Caruso, and a questionable listing for Ayo Dosunmu. The Knicks is a bit more significant with Jalen Brunson currently labeled as questionable. 2020 first round pick, Obi Toppin is out for tonight’s game, and former Chicago Bulls guard Ryan Arcidiacano is listed as doubtful.
If Brunson is ruled out of this game, it could open the door for none other than Derrick Rose to play a significant role in these two games. Rose has missed time this month due to a toe injury, but his injury designations were removed in their recent games, only to not see time in the game via a coaching decision, seemingly available in case of emergency.
With Brunson potentially out, that emergency could come in the form of a two game set against the Chicago Bulls. Miles McBride could assume a starting role or increased time in the case of Brunson’s absence, but the absence could result in a fun 20-minute or so appearance from Rose. If Rose is deemed 100% healthy he may even start and play north of 30-minutes.
After taking these last two games off, I am jumping back in looking to end this nasty losing streak. If you’ve lost all faith and decide to fade me to the moon, be my guest, but if you believe in the bounce back and positive regression, you better buckle up and get ready for some winners coming your way. This losing streak has been beyond frustrating, but I’m determined to get it going in the right direction. Best of luck, let’s see some red, and GO BULLS!!
2022 Bulls Best Bet Record: 9-15 (Ice Cold 6L Streak)Last Pick: Bulls 3Q -1.5 (12/07) – L
Demar Derozan Over 26.5 Points (Sportsbook odds may vary)
We are headed to the ‘King of the Fourth’, Demar Derozan to end this nasty losing streak. After two cold shooting nights to open the month of December, Derozan is heating up, having scored 27, 28 and 34 in each of the last three games.
This Knicks team is an interesting case to crack when looking at their defensive output and success. They rank 4th in three point percentage allowed, while allowing the most three point attempts per game in the league. They rank 4th in 2-pt baskets allowed per game, giving you cause for concern with Derozan, however looking deeper, that ranking derives from allowing just the 6th most points per game in the paint area.
To put it briefly, they force teams out of the paint and aim to allow teams to take contested three point shots. Derozan is obviously a different type of player as his goal is to get strong mid-range opportunities, a rare breed in the NBA as we have seen in 2022.
Last season, the opportunities were prevalent for Demar as he averaged 30.5 points per game against the Knicks across four games. As mentioned in the intro, there could be cause for concern with the Knicks coming in with a hot defense, but with a game total in the 220’s and a Bulls team total at 114.5, regression could be a fair assumption for the Knicks’ defense.
Give me a big performance from Demar to lead the Bulls to a potential victory tonight! Let’s see some red, and GO BULLS!!
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