It’s the round two of the best-of-seven first round series between the first-seeded Boston Celtics and the eight-placed Chicago Bulls. The visitors pulled an upset by taking the first game in Boston, putting the Celts in precarious position of facing a potential 0-2 deficit. The game was overshadowed by a personal tragedy that has hit Isiah Thomas, Boston’s leading scorer, one that threatens to impact the entire series.
Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics Game 2
LINE: Boston -6.5 (-108); moneyline -278
Total: 205 points (-105o, -103u)
Chicago take 1-0 lead, upset the Celtics in the opener
Everything aligned for the Chicago Bulls in the first game of the postseason. They’ve battled out a 106-102 victory without playing an extraordinary game, simply because many factors turned in their favor. From impactful bench contribution and rebounds falling their way, to the distraction to Boston squad, play after play looked as it’s their evening, so Butler and the Bulls made sure they finish it off with a W.
After falling behind in the first quarter, the Bulls used poor Celtics’ bench outing to go on a 10-0 and come back to the game and establish rhythm and confidence for the second half. Chicago had incredible 16 offensive rebounds in the first half alone, a dream scenario and the main advantage they have over the Green Team.
It was clear that the Chicago Bulls can cause the trouble in the series only if they establish dominance on the glass, and Robin Lopez used his size and aggressiveness to assert himself early on, finishing with 8 offensive boards. The win has the Bulls players believing in that they can win this series, and it looks like it might go a distance before we learn who will advance.
As it usually does, win started with a strong star player outing. Butler scored 30 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, getting hot at the right time for the Bulls. He scored 15 points in the final quarter and almost single handedly put Chicago in control with a lead that they’ve just managed to hold onto. The Bulls also got a good lift by their reserve power forward Bobby Portis.
Portis has been erratic in the past as his over activity sometimes hurts the Chicago Bulls’ game, but enjoyed a very successful day in Boston this time. He’s hit 8-of-10 of his shots, including 3 three pointers and had 9 rebounds. Looking at the plus/minus (+12), he was the best Bulls player. The Bulls managed to win the rebounding battle 53-36, grabbing 20 offensive boards to 24 Boston’s defensive rebounds, creating new possessions and wearing the Celtics down.
They haven’t shot too well, finishing just 42.9 percent from the field and scored just 24 points on threes. Defensively, they managed to keep the ball handlers in front of them and let the Celtics beat them from deep. They could take better care of the ball, as they committed 19 turnovers and didn’t get enough from Mirotic, Wade and Rondo.
Mirotic couldn’t find his shooting touch for a game, which was offset by Portis play, but the guard duo will need to play better if the Bulls are looking to take more than just one game. Rondo shot 6-of-15 and missed many jumpers, trailing on defense and finishing with team-worst -7 plus/minus. Wade played good defense and had a solid all round game, but the Bulls will likely need more points from him to score enough to beat the Celtics.
Place: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Date/Time: Tuesday April 18th, 2017. 8:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: TNT
Boston lose their bounce on heartbreaking news
All the joy and energy from typically all smiles Isaiah Thomas was gone with a tragic news of his sister’s death in a car accident and it naturally spilled over to his teammates and the entire organization. What was supposed to be a jubilant home game, turned out into a mourning atmosphere and it was too hard for the Celtics players to get pumped up in such surrounding. Kudos to Thomas, who decided to play regardless of being visibly shaken, and he even played fairly well. It was the usual miscues of the Celtics that has cost them the game.
The second unit was bad again. They are having big issues with the defense and have shot below 40 percent for the game to ruin the early lead and throw off the momentum the starters have established. The Celtics have been a poor rebounding team, but letting the Bulls take complete control of the boards was embarrassing at times.
And their third major flaw also showed up. The Celtics settled for too many threes, looking for the easy solution. Their three guards, Thomas, Bradley and Smart, launched 24 shots from the deep. Outside of Thomas, the rest of the Celtics have attempted just 7 free throws. Lack of aggressiveness and inability to get into transition due to lack of rebounding, played a big role in this disbalance.
On the good side, Al Horford again had his way with the opposition, keeping the Celtics alive together with Thomas. Horford played over 40 minutes and had 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, along with 7 boards and 8 dimes, while Thomas finished with 33 points and a +12 on plus/minus in his 38 minutes of play. In the 10 minutes he was resting, the Celtics were outscored by 16 points. Bradley, usually a restless motor for the Celtics lacked focus in the second half, possibly due to fatigue and he had major defensive responsibilities, while Crowder was invisible. The bad news for the Celtics is that Thomas could miss the Game 2, as he’ll probably fly to his native Seattle, Washington to deal with this family tragedy.
Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics Game 2 Trends & Prediction
The Chicago Bulls managed to cover in 7 of their last 10 games, but I doubt it that they will be able to continue this streak for a long term. The Bulls were 32-50 against the over/under in the regular season, while in the Game 1 the total points fell exactly at the projected mark. In general, the Bulls lean towards the minus line going 17-24 against the over/under on the road, which is exactly what I expect in Game 2 as well.
The Celtics are now 17-25 ATS at home after failing to cover in the Game 1 loss. This is becoming very frustrating for their backers so make sure you keep your calm when making your betting decisions. Boston went 38-42-2 against the over/under in the regular season, but the uncertainty of Thomas playing or not, gives me a hint that the Under is more likely to happen occur.
Boston was a 7-point favorite on the market opening, but have dropped down on news of Thomas status. He is a very important cog in the Celtics team and a game changer, so it’s essential to know if he’ll play or not before placing your wager, but be ready for both scenarios as they seems equally possible at this point. The books have settled for the middle of the road approach, as they are likely to get the news before us.
Thomas plays – Boston -8 / 203
Thomas out – Boston -5.5 / 197.5
Regardless if Thomas plays or not, my safer bet is to go with the Under as I think that the total has been set too high. Considering the importance of the game, I am taking the Boston Celtics to win straight up as well.
My Pick: Boston Celtics SU
Total: Under 205 points (-105)
