After losing back-to-back games last February to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets, the Boston Celtics restored order in Beantown by winning seven games in a row. Will this streak continue this Sunday against the Chicago Bulls? Or, will the Bulls finally solve Boston and score an upset win in Windy City?
Catch this game live on Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 8:00 AM, Manila time
Away: Boston Celtics (56-14/24-11 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- Payton Pritchard
- Derrick White
- Jaylen Brown
- Jayson Tatum
- Kristaps Porzingis
The Celtics have already clinched the top spot in the Atlantic division and will most likely finish the regular season atop the Eastern Conference as well. It has been smooth riding for Boston for the most part of the 2023-24 NBA regular season, which also means the Celtics can afford to rest some of their key players. After missing the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford in Saturday’s 129-102 win against the inferior Detroit Pistons, the Celtics are likely to have at least two of those players back in the upcoming meeting with the Bulls.
Boston doesn’t have an axe to grind against the Bulls, as the Celtics are 2-0 straight up this season versus Chicago with both wins coming via a total scoring margin of 44 points. But Tatum and company surely don’t want to see their win streak end versus a team that is clearly not on their level. In those two wins against the Bulls, the Celtics averaged 126.5 points on 53.2 percent shooting from the field.
Home: Chicago Bulls (34-36/18-17 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- Coby White (Probable)
- Ayo Dosunmu
- Alex Caruso (Probable)
- DeMar DeRozan
- Nikola Vucevic
The Bulls will look to get back on track after being tripped up by the Houston Rockets in a 127-117 loss on the road last Friday. Ayo Dosunmo had a fantastic individual game against the Rockets, as he went off for 35 points on 13/18 shooting from the field. Still, his hot hands were not enough to overcome DeMar DeRozan’s and Coby White’s atrocious performances. DeRozan shot just 4/15 for 16 points, while White came off the bench and hit only five of 13 attempts from the field for 13 points.
One thing the Bulls need to do more against Boston is drawing fouls. They are already just 18th in the league with 21.3 free-throw attempts per game but are averaging only 17.0 in the two games against the Celtics. For what it’s worth, Chicago has won four of its last eight home games against the Celtics, covering the spread four times in those meetings.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Bulls (+7.5) cover the spread.
Over/Under: The total (221.5) hits the Under.
