Knicks at Bulls: How & Who to Watch in Windy City Doubleheader's Finale

A New York Knicks victory in Chicago isn't as valuable as it was during the rivalry's heyday in the 1990s ... so the modern edition might as well get out of Illinois with two.

The Knicks will look for a sweep in a de facto doubleheader with the Chicago Bulls at United Center, having previously triumphed in a 128-120 overtime decision on Wednesday night. Part one served as a strong showcase for the Knicks' three headliners (Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett), who united for 83 points in the win. Randle led the way with a 31-point, 13-rebound double-double while Brunson likewise reached 30, capping things off with a three-point dagger that sent Chicago defender Alex Caruso tumbling.

Winners of a season-long five consecutive games, the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks will look to earn six in a row for the first time since April 2021, when they took home nine a row. On the hosts' side, the Bulls' recent fortunes have been defined by heartbreak: having dropped four of its past six, Chicago's four losses in that span have come by nine or less, the last two in overtime.

What: New York Knicks (15-13) @ Chicago Bulls (11-16)

Where: United Center, Chicago, IL

When/Watch: Friday, 8 p.m. ET, MSG/Watch MSG

Who's Favored: CHI -2.5

A big shoutout to Tom Thibodeau for giving Miles McBride meaningful minutes in an important game:
10 points
2 steals
2-for-4 from three

I hope Coach Thibodeau will play him more often. pic.twitter.com/20cbRiAP7G
— Ersin Demir (@EDemirNBA) December 10, 2022

Keep An Eye On: Miles McBride

While the attention has lingered on Brunson and the Knicks point guards who aren't playing ... despite Brunson's lingering injury woes stemming from Sunday, Derrick Rose did not play in part one of his return to Chicago ... McBride deserves some props for the way he has taken advantage of his newfound opportunity.

Defense has defined McBride's ascent into Tom Thibodeau's latest attempt at a nine-man rotation, which has been intact for approximately six games. In that span, the Knicks are plus-42 when he's on the floor and opponents are shooting only 45 percent from the floor, the sixth-best rate in the Association.

Thibodeau has been particularly impressed with the way that McBride has paired with primary shooting guard Quentin Grimes.

"(Grimes and McBride) are going to make you work for points, so I think that’s probably a big part of it,” Thibodeau said, per the New York Daily News. “What ball pressure does is it does make you use more clock. The offense is initiated further out and there’s a compilation of things that happen off of that. They’re big-time multiple-effort guys, so you’re gonna get a second, third and fourth effort from them. And it gives you more situations in which you can switch, too, so I think that’s probably another big plus with those two.”

need this framed ASAP 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/Y3Lm4hWebQ
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 15, 2022

Bull to Watch: Alex Caruso

It likely won't go down in the same breath as John Starks' over Michael Jordan, but the Bulls-Knicks rivalry received a bit of a much-needed jolt thanks to Brunson victimizing Caruso on Wednesday's clinching triple.

Caruso, in the midst of his second season in Chicago, has dealt with nagging injuries in recent weeks and now finds himself on the highlight reels for all the wrong reasons. The Bulls' struggles in narrow games appear to be getting to Caruso, who mused on the Bulls' struggles in narrow games in between showdowns with the Knicks, suggesting that they, ironically, could be the reason behind painful finishes.

"We have to do a better job paying attention to details earlier in the game," said Caruso. "Some nights, we're not there for 48 minutes, and then it's a coin flip at the end."

"Sometimes it's been ball-screen coverage or weakside coverage. I think it goes to show how hard it is to win in pro sports. Obviously, it's something we've got to get better at."

To Caruso's point, Chicago currently ranks 19th in first quarter points allowed per game at 29.5, which the Knicks fell just short of passing on Wednesday (up 29-28 after the opening frame).

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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