Here come the raging Bulls. Chicago moved to within 2.5 games of Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings with a comprehensive victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday. The surging Bulls will look to slice that deficit even further when they take on the Boston Celtics in a blockbuster showdown at United Center.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this Eastern Conference matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Utah vs. Houston and Atlanta vs. Philadelphia.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls Preview
Where: United Center, Chicago
When: Thursday, January 7, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Boston Celtics (+5) at Chicago Bulls (-5); total: 203.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the Boston Celtics (19-16)
[sc:NBA250 ]The Boston Celtics stumbled to their third defeat in their last four games with a gut-wrenching 99-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons. After holding Detroit to just 66 points through 3 quarters, the Celtics gave up 33 in the fourth, allowing the Pistons to come back and pick up the close win. With the defeat, the Celtics have now lost three straight games at home.
Things are bound to get tougher for the reeling Celtics as standing in their way tonight are the red-hot Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have won their last five games by an average of 9.8 points. For the Celtics to stop the Bulls’ winning run, they will need to find ways to stop Chicago’s high-powered offense. The Bulls are ninth in the NBA in scoring, averaging 102.2 points per game this season. They have breached the 100-point mark in each of their last eight outings.
That won’t faze the Celtics, though, who possess one of the league’s best defenses this campaign. They are eighth in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing just 99.0 points per game this season. They will need to pay special attention to Jimmy Butler who has been burning the hoops of late. He scored 36 points in their first meeting this season.
The Celtics are 7-3 SU and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Chicago Bulls (21-12)
The Chicago Bulls extended their winning streak to five games with a convincing 117-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Anthony Davis led the way for the Pelicans in this contest, scoring 32 points and dishing out a season-high 10 assists. He has been incredible for the Bulls this season, averaging career highs with 22.1 points, 3.9 assists, 0.8 blocks and 1.2 made 3-pointers per game.
Providing the impetus for the Bulls’ sudden resurgence has been their phenomenal offense. The Bulls are averaging 109.2 points over their last five outings. Apart from Butler, Pau Gasol has also played an integral role in Chicago’s renaissance. He is averaging 19.2 points and 10 rebounds during Chicago’s current winning streak.
They will look to keep the momentum going when they face the Boston Celtics tonight. The Bulls will be looking for some payback after losing their first meeting with Boston earlier this season. Chicago suffered a 105-100 defeat in that contest. That being said, they are a much different team compared to the one that lost to Boston a month ago. Chicago is 10-4 since absorbing that loss.
The Bulls are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Chicago (-5) eases past Boston, 112-98.
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