3rd Quarter Report
Down three at the end of the second quarter, the Celtics now have the lead. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Bulls 96-83.
The Celtics entered the game having won six straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it seven, or will the Bulls step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls
Current Records: Boston 43-12, Chicago 26-29
How To Watch
When: Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: United Center — Chicago, Illinois
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Follow: CBS Sports App
Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
Ticket Cost: $76.00
What to Know
After four games on the road, the Bulls are heading back home. They will take on the Boston Celtics at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at United Center after having had a few days off. The Bulls are expected to lose this one by 8.5 points, so we’ll see if that gives them a bit of motivation.
The Bulls suffered their closest loss since January 22nd last Wednesday. They fell just short of Cleveland by a score of 108-105. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for the Bulls in their matchups with the Cavaliers: they’ve now lost seven in a row.
The Bulls’ loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Coby White, who scored 32 points along with seven rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan who scored 24 points along with six assists.
Sadly, the team struggled as a group when it came to assists: the Bulls struggled to work together and finished the game with only 18 assists. They were smoked by their opponents in that department as the Cavaliers racked up 31 assists.
Meanwhile, the Celtics had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.8 points), and they went ahead and made it six last Wednesday. They simply couldn’t be stopped as they easily beat Brooklyn 136-86 at home. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 68-32.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead the Celtics to victory, but perhaps none more so than Payton Pritchard, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 28 points and 3 assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Derrick White, who scored 27 points along with five rebounds.
Chicago’s defeat dropped their record down to 26-29. As for Boston, they are on a roll lately: they’ve won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 43-12 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Bulls haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.8 turnovers per game (they’re ranked fourth in turnovers per game overall). However, it’s not like the Celtics struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 11.9 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
While only the Celtics took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Going forward, the Celtics are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 8.5 points. This contest will be their 18th straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 7-9-1 against the spread).
Odds
Boston is a big 8.5-point favorite against Chicago, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Celtics, as the game opened with the Celtics as a 7-point favorite.
The over/under is 225.5 points.
Series History
Chicago and Boston both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
Nov 28, 2023 – Boston 124 vs. Chicago 97
Jan 09, 2023 – Boston 107 vs. Chicago 99
Nov 21, 2022 – Chicago 121 vs. Boston 107
Nov 04, 2022 – Boston 123 vs. Chicago 119
Oct 24, 2022 – Chicago 120 vs. Boston 102
Apr 06, 2022 – Boston 117 vs. Chicago 94
Jan 15, 2022 – Boston 114 vs. Chicago 112
Nov 01, 2021 – Chicago 128 vs. Boston 114
May 07, 2021 – Chicago 121 vs. Boston 99
Apr 19, 2021 – Chicago 102 vs. Boston 96
