Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 8:00 pm Eastern, TV: TNT
Opening Line: Bulls -6.5
Current Line: Bulls -6.5
Opening Total: 204
Current Total: 204
Money Line: Bulls -275 / Knicks +235
The New York Knicks (42-38) will try to sweep the Chicago Bulls (60-20) in a regular-season series for the first time in 11 years when they meet at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The Bulls (-6.5) have already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference while the Knicks earned the sixth seed on Monday when Philadelphia lost to Orlando at home.
A win by the 76ers would have made this game a lot more meaningful for New York, which could have a hard time matching up with Chicago if Amare Stoudemire continues to rest his sprained left ankle. Stoudemire helped the Knicks win the first two meetings – averaging 17 points and nine rebounds – and several other players who will not be suiting up for them played key roles.
Raymond Felton and Danilo Gallinari combined to average nearly 40 points per game against Chicago before being dealt to Denver in the blockbuster traded that landed Carmelo Anthony. The former Syracuse star has stepped up lately though, averaging 31.5 points in the last eight games for the Knicks, including a current seven-game winning streak and five straight covers.
Of course it is also worth noting that the Bulls played the first meeting without forward Carlos Boozer and the second sans Joakim Noah. They have won 19 of their last 21 games, also winning seven in a row following a 102-99 victory at Orlando on Sunday.
Derrick Rose continued his campaign for NBA MVP honors with a game-high 39 points against the Magic. Rose has averaged almost 10 trips to the free-throw line in the last 10 games, making 34 straight over the past five. Despite their success, Chicago has failed to cover the spread in four of the last six games and not allowed Rose to rest enough in preparation for the postseason.
“We continue to let teams come back,” Rose said. “It’s going to hurt us if we continue to do this. We’ve got to learn how to put teams away.”
Depending on which players take the court with little left to play for, bettors could see a high or low-scoring game. The UNDER has cashed in the last three games for New York and three of four for the Bulls, who are still chasing San Antonio for the best overall record in the league. The OVER is 3-1 in the last four meetings after going UNDER in each of the previous five.
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