Knicks Aim for Strong Second Half Against Struggling Chicago Bulls

Coming off a hectic all-star weekend and just a busy sports weekend all around, it is good to finally have Knicks basketball back. We were able to see two of the Knicks’ best talents in Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson go up against one another in the first round of the all-star game, and that was very exciting to witness. New York is currently sitting on a two-game win streak as they knocked off the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks before the break. It will be interesting to see if the tremendous basketball they have been playing translates over into the second half of the season and whether or not they can make a push for the second seed or even possibly the first in the Eastern Conference. 

Game Insight

It is no secret that these two teams are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum, with the Knicks flourishing while the Chicago Bulls drown in constant defeat. The Bulls lost by 40 points the other night to the Pistons and have lost a key element to their offense, that being guard Zach LaVine. However, it is important to note that the Knicks are down 0-2 in the season series against Chicago, and they always seem to have the Knicks number. I do think, however, this is a team that currently has no all-star caliber players, and it would be tough to imagine them being able to put up a fight, especially since they are currently on a four-game losing streak.

Key Matchup 

The most talented players from both teams are at the center position, so we can look to see a tough physical matchup with Nikola Vucevic matched up against Karl-Anthony Towns. It is time and time again where we see Towns have the most compelling and intriguing matchup of the evening because it usually decides the direction of where the game will go. Vucevic is not typically a problem defensively, so Towns, who is currently coming off back-to-back 40-plus performances for the first time in his career, can be expected to have a field day against this defense. However, Vucevic has a similar offensive game to Towns in which he can score efficiently in the paint as well as be dangerous from three-point range. So this matchup will come down to who steps up defensively and can shut down the other.