The New York Knicks will look to improve their playoff seeding when they host the Chicago Bulls in their regular season finale at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon.
The Knicks come into tonight’s game having won four straight and are big favorites over the Bulls, who are locked into the No. 9 seed in the East.
It might be tricky to figure out how seriously these teams will take the season's final game, but we’ll break down what bettors should look for in our Bulls vs. Knicks predictions and free NBA picks for April 14.
Bulls vs Knicks predictions
My best bet
Over 215 (-108 at DraftKings)
My analysis
The New York Knicks can finish anywhere from second through fourth in the East after Sunday’s action, depending both on how they fare and the results for the Bucks and Cavaliers. That means New York should be playing the same lineup it has during its current four-game winning streak.
The Chicago Bulls' motivation isn’t quite as clear. The Bulls are locked into the No. 9 seed and will host an elimination game in the play-in tournament, meaning they’re unlikely to push their key starters so far, but head coach Billy Donovan says he might give some of his starters who rested on Friday against the Wizards — Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic — playing time on Sunday so they remain in rhythm.
The Knicks have spent most of the year playing suffocating defense, holding opponents to just 108.1 points per game and sometimes preventing teams from even scoring 80 against them, but that’s not what New York has been doing during their stretch run.
Instead, Jalen Brunson (28.6 ppg) has taken total control of the offense in the absence of Julius Randle, averaging 37.8 points over his last six games. The Knicks have scored 100+ points in each of these matchups and at 111+ in each game in their winning streak.
Meanwhile, New York hasn’t been playing the same style of shutdown defense. While they've won five of their last six, the Knicks have allowed every opponent in that span to score at 100+ points, with four of the six reaching 109.
As a result, the Knicks have hit the Over in 10 of their last 11 games. Bookmakers haven’t made much of an adjustment to this, either, as they're still setting most New York totals at 215 points or less.
The Bulls aren’t hitting the Over at quite the same rate, but they've done so in three straight games heading into today’s contest. That includes the April 9 meeting between these two teams, which the Knicks won 128-117.
With the Bulls potentially putting a bit more scoring talent on the floor than they did on Friday — when they still managed to score 129 points — and the Knicks taking a more offensive-minded approach down the stretch, all signs are pointing in the same direction.
Bulls vs Knicks same-game parlay (SGP)
Over 215
Bulls +15
Jalen Brunson 30+ points
I’m seeing a high-scoring game tonight, but that doesn’t mean this one will be a rout. With the Knicks struggling to blow out teams — they haven’t won by 15+ points in their last nine games — I’m taking the Bulls to cover a 15-point spread.
I’ll round out this parlay by taking Brunson to hit the 30-point mark again, something he’s achieved in each of his last six games.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Bulls vs Knicks odds
Bulls vs Knicks live odds
Bulls vs Knicks opening odds
- Spread: Chicago +15.5 | New York -15,5
- Moneyline: Chicago +950 | New York -2,000
- Over/Under: Over 214.5 | Under 214.5
Bulls vs Knicks spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Knicks opened as a 15.5-point favorite in today’s game. The consensus line has since settled on New York -14.5, with approximately -110 available on both sides.
- New York has gone 43-35-3 against the spread this season. The Bulls are an even 40-40-1 ATS on the year.
- The Over/Under opened at 214.5 points. As of early Sunday, sites were offering totals of anywhere from 214.5 to 215.5 depending on where you choose to bet.
- The Over holds a 43-37-1 edge in Chicago’s games this season, while the Under has gone 45-36 when the Knicks have played.
Bulls vs Knicks trend
The Over is 10-1 in New York’s last 11 games. Find more NBA betting trends for Bulls vs. Knicks.
Bulls vs Knicks game info
| Location: | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| Date: | Sunday, 4-14-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
Bulls vs Knicks latest injuries
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