Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks Prediction: Can the Bulls Keep It Respectable at Madison Square Garden?
Jalen Brunson is back, Karl-Anthony Towns is questionable, and the Chicago Bulls are limping into Madison Square Garden on Friday night with a roster that's been picked apart by the injury report all week. New York leads the season series 2-1 and has handled Chicago comfortably in both recent meetings, winning by 12 at MSG and six on the road. Let's check out the odds and best bet for this Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks prediction on April 3.
OC Staff - April 3, 2026, 7:00 AM EDT
3 Minute ReadChicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks Prediction, Picks & Latest NBA Odds for April 3, 2026
These two franchises couldn't be moving in more different directions right now. New York sits at 49-28, fighting for seeding heading into the playoffs, while Chicago is sitting at 29-47 and counting the days until the draft lottery. The Knicks opened as 15.5-point favorites at home, and that number captures the gap pretty accurately.
That said, the betting market has some wrinkles worth knowing. The Bulls are 6-1 ATS in their last seven matchups with New York, and the Knicks have covered just once in their last five outings. Covering 15.5 points requires a clean, businesslike performance from the Knicks, and they've looked far from a well-oiled machine in recent weeks against quality competition.
Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks Recent Results
The Knicks snapped a three-game skid Wednesday with a 130-119 road win at Memphis, doing it without Brunson, whose ankle kept him out as a precaution. KAT stepped into the lead role and put up a triple-double. Anunoby added 25 points and cleaned up the glass all night. New York has now won four straight at Madison Square Garden and six of its last seven at home.
Billy Donovan's Bulls have been ugly lately. They dropped five in a row, just gave up 145 points to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, and are 2-8 over their last 10 games. Road life has been particularly rough, with Chicago going 11-26 away from the United Center this season. Matas Buzelis has been the one consistent bright spot, averaging 19.3 points per game recently, but that's about where the good news ends.
Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks Head to Head
New York leads the 2025-26 season series 2-1, and the two Knicks wins haven't been close. After Chicago stole the opener early in the season, the Knicks responded with a 128-116 win at Madison Square Garden and a 105-99 road win at the United Center. The previous meeting was controlled by New York from the start, and the final score didn't even tell the full story of how much the Knicks dominated the interior.
Zoom out and the trend holds. The Knicks have won six of their last 10 against the Bulls, but Chicago has covered the spread in six of those seven losses, which is the number bettors actually need to sit with here. The total has stayed manageable in recent meetings, with the last head-to-head finishing well under the posted number. If New York takes the foot off the gas early, this one could follow the same pattern.
Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
- Time: 7:30 PM ET
- How to Watch: NBA TV, MSG Network, Chicago Sports Network, NBA League Pass
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Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks Odds
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Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks Team News
Chicago's injury report is a mess. Zach Collins, Noa Essengue, and Jalen Smith are all done for the season, and Anfernee Simons is out with a fractured wrist. Josh Giddey is questionable with a hamstring issue, and Tre Jones is also questionable with a right ankle sprain, meaning the Bulls could play this game without their two primary ball-handlers. If both sit, Collin Sexton takes the reins offensively against a Knicks defense that forces turnovers at one of the league's better rates.
New York gets Brunson back after he sat out Wednesday as a maintenance day for his right ankle. KAT remains questionable with a right elbow issue, but he's been gutting through it and put together a triple-double in the Memphis win without Brunson in the lineup. The rest of the Knicks are available, with Anunoby, Bridges, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson all ready to go. New York is about as healthy as it's been all season at exactly the right time.
Prediction: New York Knicks 124, Chicago Bulls 101
The Knicks take care of business at MSG. New York's halfcourt offense forces opponents into a slower, more controlled game, which should keep this from turning into a track meet, even against a Bulls team that loves to push pace. Brunson returning means the offense gets back to its most efficient version, and if KAT suits up and plays freely, this gets out of hand early.
Chicago will find its spots through Buzelis in the midrange and Sexton attacking in transition. The Bulls have been allowing 129.1 points per game of late, and that number isn't going to magically improve at MSG. New York has won 10 straight against teams with losing records, and nothing about this matchup suggests Friday will be the one that snaps that streak.
Best Bet: New York Knicks -15.5 (+115) Click here to get the best odds at BetMGM Sportsbook
Our FairPlay AI likes the New York Knicks -15.5. The Knicks are 24-13 ATS at home this season, and they're coming out of a reset week with a healthy roster and a clear motivation to sharpen their game before the playoffs open. Chicago's gutted backcourt, league-bottom road defense, and five-game losing streak make this a genuine blowout candidate on paper. When the talent gap is this wide and the healthier team is at home, laying the big number is less of a gamble and more of a formality.
It also points to value on Jalen Brunson Over 26.5 points. Brunson sat out Memphis as a load management decision, giving his ankle a full rest day before this one, and he'll be running the offense at full capacity against a Bulls defense that has been allowing big nights to opposing guards all month. Chicago's backcourt situation is even shakier if Jones and Giddey are both limited or out, which opens up even more space for Brunson to operate. A rested floor general against a depleted, short-handed defense at standard juice is one of the cleaner prop angles on tonight's board.
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