Knicks seek second straight win as Bulls host defending champs

The NBA regular season is underway, and the Eastern Conference is already testing its depth as two teams with contrasting recent form meet on the road.

The defending champion New York Knicks travel to the United Center in Chicago on Wednesday, October 28, at 8:00 p.m. ET to face the Chicago Bulls. New York enters the contest following a 111-97 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. The Bulls are coming off a 134-99 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday.

Both teams hold identical 1-3 records in the 2026-27 season. The Knicks, who finished second in the Atlantic Division last year with a 53-29 record, are 0-1 on the road this year. The Bulls, who placed fourth in the Central Division at 31-51 last season, are also 0-1 at home. New York is listed as a 7.5-point favorite, and the total points line is set at 234.5.

SportsLine’s projection model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, has predicted an Over on the total points line. The model notes that the Over has hit in six of the last nine meetings between these two clubs. Chicago’s defense currently ranks 30th in the league, allowing 129.5 points per game.

The Knicks are led by guard Jalen Brunson and center Karl-Anthony Towns. In four games this season, Brunson averages 22.8 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. Towns contributes 22.5 points, 14 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. The Bulls’ offense is paced by forward Caleb Wilson, who averages 21 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 steals in 34 minutes per game.

The model projects a combined total of 238 points, a figure that would cause the Over to hit 56% of the time. While the model indicates that one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time in its simulations, it has not yet disclosed which team it favors in the point spread.

The game marks the second week of the 2026-27 NBA schedule. The SportsLine model has reported a 26-10 record on top-rated NBA spread picks since last season, including five straight seasons of four-digit profit for $100 players.