Just two 1-3 teams facing off at the United Center. Nothing to see here!

The championship hangover has hit the New York Knicks early. They started the year with three straight losses, dropping games to the 76ers, Celtics, and Magic. It wasn't until Tuesday night that they earned their first victory of 2026-27, beating the Detroit Pistons 111-97.

They will now head to the United Center on the back end of a back-to-back. With the Bulls last playing in Boston on Monday night, this gives them their first true rest advantage of the season. And yet, it's hard to believe that will make much of a difference.

We've seen experienced teams have their way with the young Bulls squad, especially in the second half. If they want to avoid another blowout loss in front of their home crowd, they're going to have to hope for an offensive breakout and play a full 48 minutes. The third quarter, in particular, has been a death sentence the last few games.

3 Keys to Victory

• The New York Knicks' offense hasn't necessarily been clicking, but their defense has held opponents to roughly 105 points per game. This included keeping the Detroit Pistons under 100 points just 24 hours ago. Opposing teams have shot just 43.3 percent on this unit, helping give the Knicks a defensive rating that is the seventh-highest in the NBA (107.9). All things considered, this sure feels like bad news for a Bulls team that has a league-worst 46.1 effective field goal percentage through their first four games. It's also worth noting that the Knicks have been able to do this without fouling, as they've allowed the sixth-fewest free throw attempts a night to start the season. That's also bad news for a Bulls team that has leaned pretty heavily on getting to the charity stripe thus far.

• This game could turn into Tiago Splitter's worst nightmare. The head coach is constantly emphasizing the importance of cleaning the glass, and few teams do that better than the New York Knicks. They have started the year with a rebounding percentage of 52.9 percent, which ranks 6th best in the NBA. Even more concerning for the Bulls, New York is arguably at their best on the offensive glass, where they score 20.8 second-chance points a night (3rd most in the NBA). Losing the possession battle has already burned this team multiple times. It will be on everyone to ensure that this doesn't happen again on Wednesday.

• Can the Bulls finally have a game where they shoot over 30.0 percent from behind the arc? Look, even if the Bulls aren't built to be a good three-point shooting team, the law of averages says they aren't going to shoot 24.0 percent all season long. This group is bound to have a few nights where they finally get their shot to fall, and what better time than against the reigning champs in your second home game of the year? New York also hasn't started the season particularly hot from downtown, and they are taking far fewer attempts per game. If the Bulls can put together a decent night, they may be able to keep this one closer than some expected.

How to Watch

Who: New York Knicks (1-3) vs. New York Knicks (1-3)
Where: United Center
When: 7:00 PM CT
Watch: Chicago Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 FM The Score

Projected Starting Lineups

Chicago Bulls

1. Josh Giddey
2. Norman Powell
3. Matas Buzelis
4. Caleb Wilson
5. Jalen Smith

New York Knicks

1. Jalen Brunson
2. Mikal Bridges
3. Josh Hart
4. OG Anunoby
5. Karl-Anthony Towns

Injury Report

Chicago Bulls

Patrick Williams – OUT (adductor)
Tobe Awaka – OUT (ankle)
Nic Claxton – OUT (hamstring)

New York Knicks

Jose Alvarado – OUT (ankle)