Boston has an abundance of talent that easily dominates opposing teams; too much talent for Chicago to keep up.
This game will take place at TD Garden and you can watch it with fuboTV’s seven-day free trial; additionally, the NBA offers streaming for this matchup as well for celtics vs bulls.
Offense
The Boston Celtics are an effective shooting team. Averaging nearly 20 three-pointers a game and making 23 out of 54 attempts against Chicago Bulls.
The Celtics excel at sharing the ball and playing solid defense, two keys to their success against weaker teams – 22-1 against teams below.500 as of now with an increasing offensive presence throughout the season.
It will be fascinating to watch how the Celtics adapt their defense when meeting a more potent opponent like Chicago, who utilize ball movement as part of their attack strategy and could present serious issues for Boston if limited effectively. If that can be accomplished successfully then their prospects should improve significantly.
Jayson Tatum scored 35 points to lead the Celtics past the Bulls 138-129 in their initial meeting this season, helping the team put pressure on Bulls’ shooting while holding firm defensively – evidence of their strong defensive team play this year and continued potential bid for one of four seed spots in Eastern Conference playoffs.
Although the Celtics possess talent, they must improve their transition defense. That means intercepting passing lanes more effectively, forcing opponents backward and keeping them off-balance prior to moving into the paint. They must also guard better to prevent Chicago Bulls players from getting open looks – they currently lead all NBA teams with 3-point makes.
Another aspect of the Celtics defense that needs improvement is their lack of physicality. Although their roster contains plenty of tall players, they do not take enough shots into the paint or complete plays around the basket.
The Celtics could benefit from adding veteran depth to their lineup, and doing so may increase their success against the Bulls. Losing ground in this year’s playoff race can only prove costly; if they can shore up their defense and start winning close games again soon they could prove tough competitors throughout their campaign.
Defense
The Celtics rank second in scoring defense, allowing only an average of 118 points per game on home soil and even less away from Boston – only 109 per game on average! Additionally, Jayson Tatum leads with 9.6 boards per contest for their defensive rebounds per game ranking – another impressive accomplishment by this team.
However, the Celtics have had difficulty with limiting opposing three-point attempts as an NBA record 41.9 percent have been allowed despite poor positioning and communication among their defense players.
Though Boston’s offense is an effective one, their defense needs to improve for them to win games in this matchup against Chicago with its high volume shooting and ball sharing allowing open looks from beyond the arc.
Boston boasts plenty of talent on defense, from Jayson Tatum to Jaylen Brown and Derrick White – but their rotations can often be disjointed, leading them to struggle closing out possessions. That may change here against an underwhelming Boston defense that’s struggled keeping pace this season. Here lies an opportunity for Chicago, whose ability to share the ball and run sets may create openings against one of Boston’s weaker defenses.
One key cause of the Celtics’ defensive woes has been their inability to stop other teams from running transition and mid-court sets, leaving their defenders out of position and costing them points.
Take for instance this play from the first quarter against Cleveland: Tatum creates an opening by cutting past one defender before finding Dalano Banton in the corner and giving him an easy open three.
Meanwhile, other members of Boston’s defense were baffled by Tatum’s quick cut; Al Horford attempted to pick up Nikola Vucevic but had difficulty due to Tatum’s quick cut opening up the floor for him and forcing defenders out of position. This miscue could have been avoided simply by switching player assignments (Horford should stay with Dosunmu while White takes on Vucevic), yet instead turned out to be costly for Boston.
Injuries
On Thursday night, the Boston Celtics will return to action when they host the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden. At 21-5 and second in the Eastern Conference respectively, while 12-15 Chicago is eighth overall and injuries could potentially impact both squads, though Celtics should prevail easily provided both ends remain healthy throughout.
Kristaps Porzingis sustained a right heel contusion Sunday and is still uncertain for Thursday’s matchup against the Bulls. Although not considered serious, his condition warrants monitoring; as this issue hadn’t arisen before against the Wizards game he hadn’t been listed as being injured on an injury report prior to facing them so perhaps taking things easy with their big man will help his recovery process along faster than normal.
Al Horford (ankle) and Jayson Tatum (knee) both limitedly participated in Wednesday’s practice but should both be available against the Bulls. Sam Hauser continues to experience lower back spasms which has left his availability up in the air for today’s matchup.
Even with their injuries, the Celtics remain strong favorites to win this matchup. They hold the best overall record in the NBA and rank among its elite defensive units; specifically preventing second-chance opportunities and restricting three-point shots (both being fifth).
The Celtics will face an uphill challenge from Chicago Bulls’ high-scoring offense, but should manage to contain damage and claim another easy victory.
The Boston Celtics proved themselves as an irresistible second half force against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday evening, outscoring them 113-96 and scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to seal victory. All-Star guard Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 30 points while his teammates contributed throughout. Kyrie led with 30 of those total, while others contributed as well. Overall, Boston possessed an excellent roster that can match up well against any team when at full strength; they will need to maintain health and limit turnovers in order to reach their full potential this season.
Over/Under
The Boston Celtics have been an impressive offensive team this season, and should easily outwit the Chicago Bulls in this matchup. Their roster boasts plenty of depth; star players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can each cover multiple positions while Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis lead an outstanding bench unit.
The Celtics have won 20 out of their last 25 games and recently defeated Washington Wizards by an impressive margin. Meanwhile, Chicago Bulls are dealing with injuries and have had difficulty breaking into the playoff picture; hopefully this game is their chance to turn it all around!
This will be the second meeting between these teams this season; Boston won their initial NBA Cup group stage matchup 138-129 back on November 29. The over/under total for this matchup stands at 233 points.
Boston’s defense is widely considered one of the best in the league, particularly when it comes to 3-pointers. They have allowed only five opponents this season to shoot over 40% on 3-pointers and rank third overall in defensive rating. On the other hand, Chicago is terrible at protecting 3-point shots, permitting teams to shoot 50%+ five times this year alone (lowest-ranked team overall in terms of 3-point shooting percentage).
Zach LaVine will be an essential player for Chicago in this game against Boston. After having an impactful performance against Cleveland Cavaliers last time out, LaVine must carry his team against an aggressive Celtics squad in order for Chicago to beat one that has previously dominated this rivalry matchup.
The Celtics are an obvious favorite in this matchup and should cover the spread easily. Unfortunately for them, however, their opponent, the Bulls have suffered injuries and lack the depth to compete against the Celtics’ offense; therefore it will likely prove hard for them to stop it and score enough points to overcome their deficit.
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