Rose aims to upend old friends back home
Chicago’s sudden penchant for shootouts has transformed it into one of the NBA’s most exciting teams. Nonetheless, will the Bulls’ apathy on the defensive end spell disaster against the Knicks?
The two teams lock horns tonight, with an 8 p.m. ET tip at United Center. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the hosts odds of -330 to improve to 4-1. Jeff Hornacek’s club, on the other hand, represents a +265 underdog.
Thanks to some spellbinding work from Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo, Chicago ranks third in the Eastern Conference in points per game (110.3). Yet Wednesday’s 107-100 loss to Boston demonstrated exactly why coach Fred Hoiberg still has much on which to work moving forward. The Bulls permitted Boston the nail 14 of 32 shots from beyond the arc. They also let Indiana surpass the century mark last week.
Then again, New York can’t stop any adversary at the moment. Carmelo Anthony & Co. just absorbed a 118-99 defeat at the hands of the Rockets. While the three-time Olympic gold medalist continues to fill it up, most of his numbers look hollow in light of the Knicks’ 1-3 start.
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It’s hard to imagine the clamps suddenly being lowered this evening. Perhaps Derrick Rose, however, will author a brilliant performance in his much-anticipated return to the Windy City. Either way, we’re looking forward to the barrage of buckets ahead.
FRIDAY NBA FREE PICK: KNICKS/BULLS OVER 210 POINTS