New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls (-7) Betting Odds

After a season-opening win over the Raptors, the Knicks (2-1, 2-0-1 ATS) have dropped two straight games. Still, they've yet to lose against the spread and have faced some pretty tough competition to start the season; they lost to Boston and Portland.

Amare Stoudemire is supposed to turn around New York's fortunes after signing a huge contract in the offseason; so far, he's delivered pretty much the exact same results he did in Phoenix. Stoudemire is averaging 21.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, though he's cracked the 20-point mark just once-a 27-point effort in a loss to the Celtics. Certainly, New York is going to need more dominating performances from Stoudemire if it expects to make a playoff push.

Overall, the Knicks have shot the ball quite poorly. They're hitting just 42.9 percent of their shots, good for 26th in the NBA. The biggest surprise of the season has been free agent to-be Wilson Chandler. Chandler is averaging 21 points and a team-high 10 rebounds per game.

At the other end of the floor, New York is doing a respectable job, but it certainly could get better. The "D" is allowing 99.3 points per game and a 44.8 field goal percentage.

Chicago (2-1, 2-1 ATS) has won back-to-back games since losing its season-opener to Oklahoma City. NBA betting fans are expecting big things from the Bulls after signing Carlos Boozer in the summer, though Boozer has yet to step onto the court-he's nursing a broken hand.

Without him, others have stepped up. Derrick Rose has been brilliant, averaging 27.7 points and 8.7 assists per game. Luol Deng has played second-fiddle with Boozer injured; the veteran forward racked up a game-high 40 points in Monday's 110-98 win over Portland.

There's certainly room for improvement in Chicago, however. The Bulls hit just 59.4 percent of their foul shots against the Blazers, dropping them to dead-last in the NBA. Chicago is also giving its opponents way too many freebies; the Bulls are allowing 41 free throw attempts per game this season.

The Bulls have controlled the head-to-head series over the past few years. Chicago is 7-3 in its last 10 games against New York, though the Knicks are 6-4 against the spread in that span. Chicago, however, is 3-1 against the spread in their last four match ups (2-2 SU).

Rankin's Prediction
Take the Bulls +7 at Betus.