The Boston Celtics (26-9) clash with the Chicago Bulls (10-21) at TD Garden. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 23, 2017, and will air on NBC Sports Chicago.
Boston opened as a 7-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 206 points.
Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics ATS Prediction
In the Bulls’ last contest, they were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 115-112. Converting at the free throw line was one of Cleveland’s largest advantages. They were 19-22 (86.4 percent), while the Bulls were just 6-8 (75.0 percent). Chicago’s Kris Dunn played well, putting up 10 points, 14 assists and five rebounds.
The Celtics fell to the New York Knicks in their last contest, 102-93. New York made good use of their 26 trips to the free throw line, making 22 of them (84.6 percent). Boston, meanwhile, was 14-19 (73.7 percent). Kyrie Irving put together a good performance for Boston, leading the team in scoring with 32 points on 12-for-27 shooting.
Boston could have their way on defense as they go head-to-head against one of the NBA’s worst offenses. The Celtics rank second in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.496), while Chicago is 28th in effective field goal percentage (0.495).
Chicago heads into the game with records of 10-21 straight up (SU) and 17-11-3 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when predicting totals of Bulls games, with 16 unders compared to 15 overs.
Meanwhile, Boston is 26-9 SU and 21-12-2 ATS. Celtics games also have finished under the projected point total 51.4 percent of the time.
Nikola Mirotic and Dunn have played at a high level over the last five games for Chicago. Mirotic has averaged 22.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Not to be outdone, Dunn has put up 15.8 points, 6.2 assists and 2.2 steals a game during that span.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Mirotic scored a game-high 24 points and the Bulls, who were 5.5-point underdogs, defeated the Celtics 108-85. He also put up eight rebounds. The game finished with a total of 193 points, which was just 0.5 points below the projected point total of 193.5 points. The Bulls made 18 of their 25 free throws (72.0 percent) and had a much better turnover percentage (8.0 vs. 14.4).
Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics ATS Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Celtics, ATS Winner – Bulls, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Chicago is 9-6-1 ATS on the road with 10 overs and 6 unders.
Boston is 9-6-2 ATS at home with 9 overs and 8 unders.
In games where they allow under 100 points, Chicago is 4-5 and Boston is 18-1.
In games where they score more than 100 points, the Celtics are 19-3 and the Bulls are 9-7.
Boston ranks third in assists allowed per game (20.1) while Chicago ranks 26th (24.5).
The Celtics rank fourth in three pointers allowed per game (26.2) while the Bulls rank 20th (30.1).
Boston ranks fifth in points allowed in the paint per game (41.5) while Chicago ranks 18th (44.7).
The Celtics rank 14th in rebounds per game (43.8) while the Bulls rank 25th in rebounds allowed per game (45.3).
Boston ranks 20th in blocks per game (4.4) while Chicago ranks 27th (3.7).
The Celtics rank third in second chance points allowed per game (10.5) while the Bulls rank eighth (11.0).
Chicago is 28th in the NBA with 14.3 points off turnovers per game while Boston is 29th with 13.9 points off turnovers per game.
The Celtics average 10.0 fast break points per game, which ranks 17th in the league. The Bulls rank 18th in fast break points allowed per game (11.2).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Chicago is 5-0 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
Boston is 1-4 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Bulls have outscored opponents by an average of 5.2 points in their last five games. On the season, Chicago has been defeated by an average of 6.4 points.
During their last five games, the Celtics have scored an average of 98.2 points per game (4.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 100.6 points per game (2.2 above their season average).
