The New York Knicks (19-21) look to get back to their previous ways of winning at Madison Square Garden when they take on the Chicago Bulls (14-27) on Wednesday.
The Knicks had lost three straight outings and seven of their last eight prior to defeating the Dallas Mavericks by the score of 100-96 on Sunday. New York held the Mavericks to just 38 percent shooting from the field and were able to withstand a late comeback attempt by Dallas. Kristaps Porzingis led the way with 29 points while Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn both finished with point/rebound double-doubles.
Chicago has lost their last two and five of their last six games. On Wednesday, they fell 116-107 to the Houston Rockets. Houston jumped to a 13-point advantage after one quarter and never looked back. Bobby Portis led the Bulls with 22 points off the bench while Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine each finished with 19.
Lineups
Chicago: PG - Kris Dunn, SG - Justin Holiday, SF - Denzel Valentine, PF - Lauri Markkanen, C - Robin Lopez
New York: PG - Jarrett Jack, SG - Courtney Lee, SF - Lance Thomas, PF - Kristaps Porzingis, C - Enes Kanter
Leaders
Chicago: Scoring - Nikola Mirotic 17.4, Rebounding - Lauri Markkanen 7.6, Assists - Kris Dunn 6.2
New York: Scoring - Kristaps Porzingis 23.7, Rebounding - Enes Kanter 10.1, Assists - Jarrett Jack 6.0
Injuries
Chicago: Out - Zach LaVine (knee), Cameron Payne (foot), Questionable - Nikola Mirotic (virus)
New York: Out - Tim Hardaway Jr.
(leg), Questionable - Michael Beasley (ankle)
What to know
Courtney Lee enters Wednesday’s game having connected on 43 straight free throw attempts. That leaves him just two shy of breaking Chris Duhon’s team record of 44 consecutive free throws made. Lee currently leads the NBA, making 96.1 percent of his foul shots.
The Knicks have been a much better home team than on the road this season, but they have lost the last two they have played at Madison Square Garden.
They still sit at 15-7 at home on the season.
The Bulls throw up a ton of shots but are not necessarily accurate. They put up the second-most field goal attempts in the league with 88.1 per game but their 43.9 field goal percentage is second-worst.
History in regular season
The Bulls and Knicks have met 224 times in the regular season with Chicago holding a 120-104 edge in the win column.
Entering this season, the Knicks had beaten Chicago in five straight head-to-head meetings. They have met twice this season though, with the Bulls winning both times in Chicago by a combined seven points. New York has won four straight games and six of the last seven at Madison Square Garden when matched up with the Bulls.
