The Boston Celtics (19-16) head to Chicago to play the Bulls (21-12) in a game that will likely be up tempo. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7 and will air on TNT and CSC.
The Bulls beat the Bucks 117-106 on Tuesday. Jimmy Butler fueled the Bulls, recording 32 points and 10 assists to notch his second double-double this season. The Celtics, meanwhile, are coming off a 99-94 loss to the Pistons on Wednesday. Isaiah Thomas had a solid game, accumulating his fourth double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 assists.
Butler has really been playing well as of late for the Bulls, averaging 26.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.0 block, and 1.0 three-pointer over the last five games.
There should be plenty of transition action in this game. The Bulls rank fifth in the league in possessions per game (100.4), while the Celtics are third (101.2). Moreover, foul-shooting opportunities could prove to be quite rare for the Celtics. They are 26th in the league in free throw attempt rate (25.1), while the Bulls are among the league’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 24.0, ranking third in the NBA).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Celtics won the first game 105-100. Despite the loss, Butler was the game’s leading scorer with 36 points.
The Bulls are a three-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 203 points. The Bulls look to build on their records of 21-12 Straight Up (SU) and 14-19 Against The Spread (ATS). Even though they haven’t performed all that well ATS within the Eastern Conference (7-13), they have a record of 12-8. Chicago has averaged 109.9 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 102.2. The Bulls will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent defensive struggles. The Bulls have given up an average of 107.0 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 100.0 PPG. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Bulls, who have the best opponent field-goal percentage in the league at .418. An area where the Bulls are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 6.6 blocks per game, fourth in the NBA. Expect Chicago to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Celtics, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the league with an average of 23.1 fouls per game.
On the other side, the Celtics head into the game with records of 19-15-1 ATS and 19-16 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Boston has gone 14-11 SU and 13-12 ATS. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Celtics, who are the fifth-best team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .430.
The Celtics’ win over Chicago in their last clash couldn’t give them the edge in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, where the Bulls still lead 7-3 SU. Additionally, with a 6-3-1 record, the Bulls have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos, ATS Winner – Bos, O/U – Over
Notes
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago’s last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago’s last 6 games at home.
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Chicago is 15-6-1 ATS in its last 22 games when playing Boston.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago’s last 5 games when playing Boston.
Chicago is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Boston.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago’s last 7 games when playing at home against Boston.
Chicago is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Boston.
On average, Boston scores 102.7 points per game (ranked eighth). Chicago ranks 12th in points allowed per game with 100.0.
On average, Chicago gives up 97.5 points per home game. Boston averages 103.1 points per away game, ranking the team fifth in scoring.
The Boston Celtics have a stellar 18-3 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Chicago Bulls are 9-6 when they score less than 100.
The Boston Celtics have an abysmal 1-13 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Chicago Bulls are 12-6 when they hit the century mark.
The Celtics have an offensive rating of 101.4 (ranked 25th), while the Bulls rank sixth for their defensive rating of 99.7.
Chicago has an average field goal percentage of 43.6%. Boston is an underachieving 3-12 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Chicago Bulls attempt 21.0 three point field goals per game and the Boston Celtics attempt 27.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Chicago has a losing record of 3-5, while Boston is 12-13.
The Chicago Bulls rank ninth with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.65. The Boston Celtics have a higher A/TO (1.65), ranking eighth.
Chicago is the best rebounding team in the NBA this season with 48.8 per game. On the other side, Boston is in the top half of the league, ranking eighth with 44.6 per game.
Chicago is the top-ranked team in terms of defensive rebounds. On the other side, Boston is a very strong team when it comes to offensive rebounding, ranked sixth.
Boston averages a forced turnover rate of 16.1% this season, ranked third in the league. Chicago has a 3-4 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
