The New York Knicks host the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Knicks are 49-28 and third in the East with a 27-9 home record, while the Bulls are 29-47 and 12th in the East with an 11-26 road record.
The Knicks are coming off a strong 130-119 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, ending a three-game losing streak with this win. The Bulls are coming off a 145-126 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday as well, their fifth loss in a row. This is their fourth and final encounter of the season, with the Knicks winning every game between the two teams this season. Their last win over the Bulls was 105-99 and came on February 22, 2026.
The Knicks are led by Jalen Brunson, who’s averaging 26.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. The team’s second option all season has been center Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds this season. Towns is currently listed as doubtful for the game, so his status might not be clarified until before the game.
The Bulls are led by franchise point guard Josh Giddey, who is averaging 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 9.2 assists in the best season of his career. Second-year forward Matas Buzelis has had a great season as well, averaging 16.4 points and 5.8 rebounds.
This doesn’t look to be a competitive clash on paper, especially with the Bulls in a precarious tanking race with the Milwaukee Bucks just half-a-game ahead of them.
Injury Report
Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns: Doubtful (calf)
Bulls
Lachlan Olbrich: Probable (foot)
Josh Giddey: Questionable (hamstring)
Guerschon Yabusele: Questionable (ankle)
Tre Jones: Questionable (ankle)
Mac McClung: Questionable (abdomen)
Zach Collins: Out (toe)
Noa Essengue: Out (shoulder)
Anfernee Simons: Out (hand)
Jalen Smith: Out (calf)
Nick Richards: Out (elbow)
Why The Knicks Have The Advantage
The Knicks have clearly had a disappointing regular season because of their record compared to other contenders in the East, but that doesn’t take away the high quality roster they have. The Knicks have the fifth-best net rating in the NBA with a 118.6 offensive (third in the NBA) and 112.5 defensive rating (eighth). A sign of a championship-caliber teams is usally their overall net rating on the season, with the Knicks passing that test even though their record might show them as worse than they are.
Even with Towns possibly being ruled out, the Knicks have enough strength in numbers across the roster. Mitchell Robinson provides a different type of center play, but he’ll help the team boost their 45.9 rebounds per game (seventh in the NBA). Additionally, this will simplify the Knicks offense as this can open up an opportunity for Brunson to have one of his huge scoring nights, with strong support play from the talented squad of forwards around him.
The Knicks are a very strong shooting team, holding fourth-best three-point percentage (37.4 3P%) in the NBA this season. They don’t shoot with high volume (38.4 3PA per game), but they make their shots count. The team also has multiple scoring options in their starting five who don’t specialize in playing in the paint or the perimeter. They’re all proven three-level scorers, but they have to work hard on ensuring they can break down the Bulls’ 117.5-rated defense this season.
The biggest advantage for New York is that fact that they have something to play for. They could climb to No. 2 by the end of the regular season if they can maximize their results and climb over the Boston Celtics. In the same vein, they could fall behind the Cleveland Cavaliers below them if they keep losing games.
The Knicks were predicted to be a potential No. 1 seed before the season started, so ending the season at No. 4 despite having relatively good injury luck will be surprising. As a result, they have all the incentive they need to put the Bulls away.
Why The Bulls Have The Advantage
The Bulls have proven themselves as one of the stronger passing units in the NBA. With a coach like Billy Donovan and a point guard like Giddey at the helm, it’s not surprising to see that the Bulls are averaging 28.5 assists per game (seventh-best) and 319.7 passes per game (third-best). The Bulls can control the tempo of the game if Giddey plays and is given the latitude to dominate the ball.
The Bulls’ passing also leads to them having an above-average offense with a 112.5 offensive rating and 116.5 points per game. While they do play with a high tempo, they’re a very capable offensive unit in the halfcourt as well. The Bulls did prove they could have been competitive earlier this season before they decided to start tanking. A good shooting night might be all they need for this win, shooting 36.1% on three this season.
Even though the Knicks picked up a win in their last game, they still don’t look comfortable after their recent three-game losing streak has dropped them dangerously close to falling to the No. 4 seed in the East. The Bulls are the perfect team to potentially catch the Knicks off-guard and pull off a surprising win, provided they’re motivated enough to use their minor advantages to open up a difference.
X-Factors
Mikal Bridges should be the key x-factor for the Knicks every night, given what the team gave up to acquire him, but he’s in the middle of a rut. He’s averaging 14.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on the season. The forward has been unremarkable recently, averaging 11.8 points over the last 11 games. He’ll hope to repeat the big game he had against the Memphis Grizzlies in his last game and get consecutive 20+-point games under his belt.
Josh Hart has been playing the opposite of Bridges, averaging 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over the last five games and making crucial contributions to help the franchise earn wins. He’s averaging 12.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on the season and is a multi-positional weapon who always gives max effort on both ends of the court.
Collin Sexton joined the Bulls at the trade deadline and is likely going to be on a new team next season. As a result, the 27-year-old guard needs to impress contenders around the NBA to show he’s worth taking a flyer on after spending multiple seasons on different tanking teams. He’s averaging 15.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists this year and is a versatile combo guard who could stun the Knicks if he finds his rhythm.
Isaac Okoro joined the Bulls at the start of the season to hopefully compete for a Playoff spot as a defense-first wing option. That hasn’t materialized, but Okoro has averaged 9.3 points and 2.7 rebounds over the season. He won’t be a major offensive piece but has the tools to make it a rough night for Brunson or the other Knicks offensive players, given Okoro can guard multiple positions at a high-level, even if his offense leaves a lot to be desired.
Prediction
This should be a simple win for the Knicks, given the difference in quality between these teams. When you add the fact that the Knicks have a competitive reason to win every game in front of them compared to the Bulls, who have an incentive to lose their remaining games, it’s not hard to pick the Knicks here.
The Bulls are also deploying a heavily-depleted roster in this game, so the Knicks shouldn’t struggle to overcome this challenge. A win for New York helps them stay in contention for the No. 2 seed and builds their gap on the No. 4 seed, so they have to ensure that’s the result they get.
Prediction: Knicks 127, Bulls 115
