New York Knicks @ Chicago Bulls: How, Who to Watch As Late Road Trip Tips Off
The New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls are once again playing to alter the Eastern Conference playoff picture, albeit in drastically difference ways.
Whereas Chicago is looking to solidify its spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, the Knicks will look to inch closer to homecourt advantage in the opening round. The quest for stability continues on Friday night when the two sides do battle at United Center.
Friday tips off an unusual stretch for the Knicks, who will not only embark on a four-game road trip late in the season but also battle the Bulls three times over their final six games. The trip means that the Knicks have had little, if any, time to savor the severing of a three-game losing streak, as they took down the Sacramento Kings in a 120-109 nationally televised decision. That win came hours after they learned that Julius Randle would miss the remainder of the season due to shoulder surgery.
The Bulls are locked into the Play-In Tournament and they'll more than likely need to win two games to leap onto the mainstream bracket. As it stands, Chicago has a half-game lead over Atlanta for ninth after dropping five of its past seven, including a 113-101 defeat to the aforementioned Hawks on Monday.
New York and Chicago previously did battle on Jan. 3 at Madison Square Garden, with the former prevailing by a 116-100 final behind 35 points for Randle.
What: New York Knicks (45-31) @ Chicago Bulls (36-40)
Where: United Center, Chicago, IL
When/Watch: Friday, 8 p.m. ET, MSG
Who's Favored: CHI -1.5
Keep An Eye On: Isaiah Hartenstein
Mitchell Robinson is back but Hartenstein remains stationed in the Knicks' starting five, and for good reason: the rebounding prowess speaks for itself (especially with Randle officially stepping out for the season) but the big man has found other ways to contribute to the box score through scoring (11.8, five double-figure games over the past nine) and assists, posting a surprising nine in Thursdy's win to set a new season-high.
Bull to Watch: DeMar DeRozan
If we're witnessing DeRozan's final hours as a Bull, he's certainly going out with a bang: he has led Chicago in scoring in each of the past six games, averaging 28.6 points in that span while shooting just under 50 percent. If Chicago has any chance of an upset it'll likely rely on a sustainable start from DeRozan, who scored 28 in the teams' prior meeting in January.
They Said It
“It’s tough. It’s frustrating for him. Obviously, he wasn’t able to end the year off last year fully healthy. And he was playing great, in a great rhythm. So it definitely was just unfortunate. But now for him, it’s just about hitting his rehab strong, getting better this offseason, and coming back next year better than he was this year.”-Josh Hart on the Julius Randle news (h/t Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News)
Prediction
On paper, the Knicks should be able to easily handle a team that's fighting for mere homecourt advantage in the Play-In Tournament, but the situation could make things somewhat weird: the Knicks are traveling for the latter portion of a back-to-back and Chicago hasn't played since Monday. But the Knicks have withstood several major yet manageable catastrophes and Friday should be no exception.
Knicks 106, Bulls 100
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks