Game Day Preview: Knicks at Bulls, and the Champs Need to Make It Two Straight

One win down, and no time to enjoy it. Less than 24 hours after Cat went 27 and 20 to finally get us off the schneid, the 1-3 Knicks are in Chicago tonight to face the 1-3 Bulls at the United Center, with tip at 8:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CT. ESPN lists no national broadcast, just NBA League Pass and the local regional feeds, so check your local listings. This is the back half of a back-to-back, and it's exactly the kind of game a champion has to take if that Pistons win is going to mean anything.

Chicago is shooting itself out of games

I'm not going to pretend the Bulls are scary right now. Per ESPN, they're allowing 129.5 points a game after giving up 135 in Toronto and 134 in Boston. Their only win was 132-125 in Milwaukee. And the three-ball has been brutal: 40-of-168 from deep across four games, about 24%, per the ESPN box scores. That 4-of-36 night in Toronto might be the ugliest line I've seen this season.

They do get to the rim, though. Chicago put up 62 paint points in Milwaukee and 54 against Washington, and Caleb Wilson leads them at 21.0 a game per ESPN, including 30 and 14 against the Wizards. Norman Powell is the other scorer to track; he dropped 25 in Milwaukee and 20 in Boston. Josh Giddey is setting the table at 7.2 assists a night. And they're careless with it, at 19.5 turnovers a game per ESPN, including 27 in Toronto and 25 in Boston.

The matchup I care about is OG or Mikal on Wilson. If our wings can wall off his drives and make Chicago shoot over the top, the math is on our side.

Tired legs and the balance we finally found

Last night was the closest we've come to the game I keep asking for: 44 paint points and 12 threes, plus a 49-45 edge on the glass, per the ESPN box score. Towns was 12-of-21 with 20 boards, and Brunson scored 23 with seven assists even on a 5-of-18 night. The worry is the 18 turnovers. Against a Bulls team that averages 9.5 steals, per ESPN, that's the leak to plug.

With Nic Claxton out for Chicago, I want the five-out look with Cat at center from the jump. Pull their bigs out to the arc, let Brunson attack, and make tired legs a Chicago problem, not ours. ESPN's odds feed has us as 7.5-point favorites, which tells you the expectation.

Here's where the injury picture stands. The NBA's official report as of 12:00 PM ET lists the Knicks as not yet submitted, so this could change:

• Bulls (official report): Nic Claxton (left hamstring strain) is out. Tobe Awaka (left ankle sprain) and Patrick Williams (right adductor strain) are questionable.
• Knicks: no official report yet. ESPN lists Jose Alvarado (left ankle sprain) as day-to-day.

Need a refresher on last night? The Morning After is here: https://knicks365.com/blog/knicks-pistons-recap-towns-27-20-first-win

Back-to-backs on the road are where seasons quietly turn. Take care of the ball, guard the paint, and let Chicago keep missing. Make it two in a row.