Thursday, March 24, 2016

Madison Square Garden

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The Chicago Bulls travel to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The opening line for this game has Chicago as 4 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 202.

The Bulls come into this game with an overall record of 36-33 and a road record of 12-21. They are 3rd in the Central Division. They currently have a point differential of -1.1 as they are averaging 101.8 points per game while giving up 102.9 per contest. Chicago is 7-5 against division opponents and they have a conference record of 21-21. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Knicks have an overall record of 28-43 and a home record of 16-19. They currently are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They are averaging 98.5 points per game and surrendering 101.4, good for a point differential of -2.9. New York has a division record of 6-7 and a conference record of 17-26. In their last 10 games they are 3-7.

Jimmy Butler comes into this contest averaging 21.7 points per game while playing 37.3 minutes per night so far this season for the Bulls. He pulls down 5.2 rebounds per game and dishes out 4.5 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 45% while his free throw percentage is currently at 83%. Derrick Rose averages 16.7 points per game in 31.9 minutes per contest this season. He averages 4.9 assists per contest and 3.5 rebounds per game for Chicago. His field goal percentage is 43% for the year while his free throw percentage is 80%.

Carmelo Anthony averages 21.8 points per game while playing 35.4 minutes per contest this year for the Knicks. He grabs 8 rebounds per game and has 4.2 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 43% and his free throw percentage currently is at 82%. Kristaps Porzingis averages 13.9 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 28 minutes per contest. He also averages 7.2 rebounds per contest and 1.3 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 42% and his free throw percentage is 85%.

Chicago averages 101.8 points per contest this season which ranks them 19th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is -1.1 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them ranked 25th. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 3rd in the league. They average 55.8 rebounds per game and 22.7 assists per game which ranks them 3rd and 11th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 13th with 14.1 per game. The Bulls allow 102.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 15th in the league. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 33% average from behind the arc ranking them 4th and 5th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 54.8 rebounds a game which ranks 27th and they give up 22.4 assists per contest which puts them in 20th place in the league. They force 11.8 turnovers per game which ranks them 29th in the league.

New York averages 98.5 points per game this year which ranks them 26th in the league. Their average scoring margin is -2.9 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them sitting in the 26th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 23rd in the NBA. They average 52 rebounds per game and 20.3 assists per contest which ranks them 16th and 26th respectively. In the turnover department the Knicks rank 7th with 13.3 per game. The Knicks allow 101.4 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 11th in the league. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 10th and 7th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 52.8 rebounds a game which ranks 21st and they give up 20.8 assists per contest which puts them in 6th place in the league. The Knicks force 11.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 30th in the NBA.

The Bulls average 101.9 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 106.3 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -4.4 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is 10 per contest. The Bulls have an offensive rating of 104.3 and a defensive rating of 105.5. In terms of pace they average 96.2 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 48%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 52% and they shoot 3 pointers on 24% of their shots. Chicago turns the ball over an average of 12.7 times per 100 possessions and they force 10.6 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 48%.

The Knicks score 99.3 ppg at home and they have averaged 84.7 points per contest in their last 3 games. They have an average scoring differential of -18 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of -1.4 points per game. The Knicks rating on offense is 104.7 and they have a defensive rating of 107.8. They get 93.4 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 48%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 53% and they attempt 3 pointers on 25% of their shot attempts. New York turns the ball over on 12.5 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 10.6 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 49%.

Chicago Bulls Betting Trends

The Chicago Bulls are 29-40-0 against the spread

The Chicago Bulls are 35-32-2 against the over/under

New York Knicks Betting Trends

The New York Knicks are 37-34-0 against the spread

The New York Knicks are 31-39-1 against the over/under

Chicago Bulls Injuries

03/19/16 G E'Twaun Moore Hamstring out indefinitely
01/25/16 C Joakim Noah Shoulder out indefinitely

New York Knicks Injuries

03/23/16 F Kevin Seraphin Foot is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs. Chicago
03/22/16 F Carmelo Anthony Migraine is upgraded to probable Wednesday vs. Chicago
03/09/16 F Lance Thomas Knee out indefinitely

Josh's Pick: Take Chicago

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