Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls Preview
Where: United Center— Chicago, Illinois
When: Thursday, February 16, 2017, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Boston Celtics (+1) vs. Chicago Bulls (-1); total: 212.0 – view all NBA lines
NBA News & Predictions
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Betting on the Boston Celtics (37-19)
Another day meant another big fourth quarter for Isaiah Thomas. Wednesday night, he scored 13 of his 33 points in the final period to help earn the Celtics a 116-108 victory over the pesky Philadelphia 76ers. With the win, the Cs are now winners in 11 of their last 12 games.
We’ve frankly lost track of how many MVP-level performances he’s given this season, but we do know that he is now tied with Celtics great John Havlicek for consecutive 20-plus point games, with 40, and that he has recently jumped into second place in scoring (29.8 PPG, behind Russell Westbrook).
Thomas doesn’t look like he has plans cooling off even just for a bit, especially since he has the supporting cast that cater to his style of play. The all-around play of big man Al Horford (14.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 5.0 APG), for one, is creating a lot of extra scoring opportunities for him.
Through Thomas, Horford, Jae Crowder, and Marcus Smart (13.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.8 APG in his last nine), who’s stepping up well in place of the injured Avery Bradley (achilles), the Celtics the top seven in the league in scoring (108.4 PPG) and offensive efficiency.
Boston is 1-1 against Chicago this season, with Thomas averaging 24 points, seven assists, and 3.5 threes per game in the pair of contests.
Betting on the Chicago Bulls (27-29)
The Bulls nicely snapped their three-game losing streak on Valentine’s Day. In easing past the Toronto Raptors, 105-94, they also held the tandem of Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan to a woeful 13-for-36 shooting.
Jimmy Butler (24.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.9 APG), who was playing through an injured heel and didn’t have Dwyane Wade on his side (wrist), struggled making shots (2-for-10), and hence acted more of a facilitator, as he tied his season-high in assists, with 12. He also made most of his points hitting free throws (15 of his 19 points were from the stripe.
With Wade still questionable for the upcoming game, look for Butler to be given plenty of reign on offense once again, although Doug McDermott could also provide some damage. “Dougie McBuckets” will be coming off his third-highest scoring game this season (20 points against the Raptors).
Expect the Bulls to win the rebounding battle Thursday night. They are ahead of everyone in the NBA in boards (46.4 RPG), while the Celtics are only 27th. It may take some pressure off of them being way behind Boston’s potent offensive attack.
Chicago’s pretty inconsistent at home, as they 11-9 in their last 20 games at United Center (8-12 ATS).
Writer’s Prediction
The Celtics (+1) win, 106-100.
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