Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks: Game Outlook

Prediction

Neither team will be coming off a game on Thursday for a SEGABABA.

However, the Bulls are dealing with some injury issues heading into their first meeting with the Rose-Noah Knicks.

Doug McDermott (concussion protocol) has still not been cleared by the doctors, while Michael Carter-Williams will likely miss at least the next month with a bone bruise in his knee.

Wednesday night brought the Bulls debut of Jerian Grant, who looked good in his 13 minutes of action against the Boston Celtics. You could say he’s an x-factor coming off the bench again on Friday, being that he’ll likely be active and the Knicks were the team he came from in the Rose trade this past June.

This game feels like a tricky one for the Bulls in the front end of their first back-to-back set of the season (they play the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night in Indianapolis).

But, the Bulls are the better team now and will likely be the better team as the season goes along, pending the health of their core guys.

McDermott will likely enter the rotation once again after the game off in Boston, the Bulls will bounce back at home thanks to a better offensive approach, more disruption on defense, and the fact that the Knicks aren’t very good.

Prediction:

Knicks keep it rather close throughout, but the Bulls pull away late and win it, 106-91.