New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls | Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | 7:00 PM CT / 8:00 PM ET | United Center, Chicago | CHSN, MSG
I picked the Celtics to beat us on Monday, 118-109. They won 134-99, so I had the winner and missed the margin by about 26 points. That’s two games in a row where I’ve been right about the side and wrong about the scale, which says something about where this Bulls team is right now.
The record is 1-3 after the Boston game, which was the first of a 10-game stretch. The next opponent is the reigning champions, who beat Detroit on Tuesday night for their first win and have to turn around and play in Chicago on Wednesday. That’s the best excuse for optimism I can find.
Game Info: Knicks at Bulls
- Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
- Tip-off: 7:00 PM CT / 8:00 PM ET
- Venue: United Center, Chicago
- TV: CHSN and MSG, per Fubo
- Records: Bulls 1-3; Knicks 1-3 after Tuesday’s win over Detroit
- Odds: One listing (posted when the Knicks were still 0-3) had New York -1.5 with a moneyline of -120 for the Knicks and +100 for the Bulls, and a total of 218.5. That is close to a pick’em, and it may have moved since
What Happened in Boston
The Bulls were competitive early. They had an 8-0 run and seven first-half steals. Then Boston outscored them 39-21 in the third quarter, and it was over.
- The numbers: Boston won the paint 45-30 and had 19 offensive rebounds. Chicago turned the ball over nine times in the third quarter, which led to 17 Boston points, according to SI. Payton Pritchard scored 28, going 5-for-5 from three in the third quarter, and Jayson Tatum had 23.
- Three-point shooting: The Bulls missed 15 of their first 19 threes and finished 12-for-44, after entering the game at 22.6%, the worst in the league.
- The bench: No Bulls reserve scored in double figures, and Tre Jones had zero assists. Boston’s bench outscored Chicago’s 79-33.
- The one good number: Chicago has averaged 35.7 free throws per game, the NBA’s best mark, but it didn’t press that edge in Boston even after Tatum and Paul George picked up fourth fouls.
- Norman Powell led the Bulls with 20.
Splitter went deep into his rotation in the blowout, including Dailyn Swain’s NBA debut. Matas Buzelis admitted, in a Yahoo Sports report, that the team doesn’t really know what to do yet in Splitter’s new offense.
- Injuries: Nic Claxton (hamstring) is out and set to be re-evaluated in about two weeks. Patrick Williams (adductor strain) and Tobe Awaka (ankle sprain) are questionable, per Heavy, though Covers still listed Williams as out, so check the final report.
The Knicks: 1-3 and Still Not Fixed
New York lost its first three games, including a 111-102 loss to Orlando, before beating the previously undefeated Pistons 111-97 on Tuesday. Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 20 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 23 on 5-for-18 shooting and Mikal Bridges had 12.
Coach Mike Brown was blunt after that win: “We had more good moments in this game in totality than we did the first three games and that’s why we got the win.” And then: “So is it fixed? No, it ain’t fixed. Nothing’s really fixed.”
- Offense: Before the Detroit game, the Knicks were averaging 101.7 points per game, 30th in the league, and shooting 32.4% from three, per Doc’s Sports.
- Defense: They allowed 108.0 points per game, ninth best, in that same data.
- Injuries: Covers listed Jose Alvarado as out with an ankle injury. I found no other Knicks injuries, but check the final report.
- Schedule: This is the second night of a back-to-back for New York, as AP noted.
The Matchups That Matter
Chicago’s defense against anyone. The Bulls are giving up 129.5 points per game, 30th in the league. New York’s offense has been bad, but it just scored 111 on a good Detroit team.
Towns on the glass. He had 20 rebounds on Tuesday. Chicago gave up 19 offensive rebounds in Boston, and without Claxton, the Bulls are thin up front. Jalen Smith, Buzelis and Wilson need to box out.
Brunson’s late-game creation against Chicago’s perimeter. TheRx points to Brunson and Towns’s spacing, plus OG Anunoby’s wing defense, as New York’s main strengths. Brunson shot 5-for-18 on Tuesday, but he scored 28 in the Orlando loss, so I wouldn’t count on a bad night.
Free throws. If the Bulls get to the line like they have all season, that’s their best edge against a Knicks team on a back-to-back.
The bench. Boston’s bench outscored Chicago’s 79-33. If the second unit looks like the one that went on a 16-0 run in Milwaukee, the Bulls can win. If it looks like Monday’s, they can’t.
Fatigue. The Knicks played Tuesday night and have to travel. I’m not going to say it decides the game, but at the margins, tired legs matter.
What Actually Decides It
The Knicks have a better roster, a better defense and a win over an unbeaten team on Tuesday. The Bulls are 30th in points allowed and have been outscored by 35 in their last game. I don’t have a clean statistical argument for Chicago.
But New York is also 1-3 and still working things out, the Knicks are playing the second night of a back-to-back and the line is basically a coin flip. I think the Bulls are better than Monday’s score and will compete, but I can’t pick a team to win while it’s giving up 129 a night. I’ll go with the Knicks in a game that stays close until late.
My Final Score Prediction: New York Knicks 113, Chicago Bulls 108
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