The defending NBA champion New York Knicks aim for a second consecutive victory when they face the Chicago Bulls in an Eastern Conference matchup Wednesday night at the United Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
New York (1-3) enters after a 111-97 win over Detroit on Tuesday, while Chicago (1-3) lost 134-99 at Boston on Monday. The Knicks are listed as 7.5-point favorites with an over/under of 232.5 points.
According to the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates each game 10,000 times, the over on the total points is the recommended play. The model notes the over has hit in six of the last nine meetings between the teams and has gone 3-1 in Bulls games this season. Chicago's defense ranks 30th in the league, allowing 129.5 points per game.
The Knicks are led by guard Jalen Brunson, averaging 22.8 points, 4.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds through four games, and center Karl-Anthony Towns, averaging 22.5 points, 14 rebounds and 2.8 assists. For the Bulls, forward Caleb Wilson paces the team with 21 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 34 minutes per game.
The model projects 238 combined points, with the over hitting in 57% of simulations. It also indicates one side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time, though the specific side is available via the SportsLine platform.
