Can the Boston Celtics be stopped? The Chicago Bulls will try to answer that this weekend when they host the NBA’s reigning champs at United Center. The Celtics will come into this meeting riding a huge wave of momentum, thanks to a lengthy win streak while the Bulls are looking to recover from a recent loss.
Catch this game live on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 9:00 AM, Manila time
Away: Boston Celtics (15-3/8-1 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- Jrue Holiday
- Derrick White
- Jaylen Brown
- Jayson Tatum
- Kristaps Porzingis
The Celtics are simply out of their mind right now. The defending NBA champions are on a six-game win streak heading into the meeting with Chicago but that might not even be the most impressive thing going on for Boston. For one, the Celtics have broken the fabric of the basketball universe with their bonkers outside shooting.
They have drained at least 21 3-pointers in five of their last six games, which includes their 126-94 decimation of James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers at home last Tuesday in which Boston went 22-for-51 from behind the arc.
Boston can’t always shoot that great. At some point, they’ll regress to the league mean, but even if that happens this Saturday against Chicago, the Celtics aren’t a team defined only by their outside shooting. The Celtics are fifth in the NBA with a 57.3 percent success rate on 2-point shots. They can also win with their defense, as Boston is sixth in the NBA with just 109.6 points allowed per game.
Home: Chicago Bulls (8-12/2-6 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- Josh Giddey
- Coby White
- Ayo Dosunmu
- Zach LaVine
- Nikola Vucevic
It has been an up-and-down ride for the Bulls over their last several games. Chicago is 3-3 straight up and also 3-3 against the spread in their last six outings. In their most recent game, the Bulls suffered a 133-119 road loss to the Orlando Magic. That isn’t a good sign for the Bulls heading into a matchup against the powerful Celtics, but at least the Bulls will be playing at home.
The Bulls are 2-2 SU and 2-2 ATS in their last four regular-season games as the home team versus the Celtics, dating back to the 2022-23 NBA campaign. Chicago star Zach LaVine can make a big statement against Boston, as he looks to recover from a dud in the Orlando game in which he scored just eight points on 3-for-9 shooting, though, he had 10 assists.
But it is also going to be an all-hands-on-deck approach for Chicago to take down the Celtics. That means Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Josh Giddey and Ayo Dosunmu will be under pressure to deliver more than usual. It would also be nice for the Bulls to see someone from the bench step up. Against Orlando, Talen Horton-Tucker punched in 20 points for the Bulls, who seem to have an offense that can more than just dent Boston’s defense. On the season, the Celtics are fifth in the league with 118.0 points per game and second with 16.3 made 3-pointers per outing.
Picks
Spread: Chicago Bulls (+9.5)
Over/Under: Over (240.5)
