The Celtics proceed their street journey with a cease in Chicago to tackle the Bulls. That is the third and remaining assembly between these 2 groups this season. The Celtics are 2-0 to date this season, profitable 124-97 in Boston on 11/28 and profitable in Chicago 129-112 on 2/22. The Celtics and Bulls tied the sequence 2-2 final season with every staff profitable at residence.
The Celtics are 131-109 general all time towards the Bulls and 55-71 in video games performed in Chicago. The Celtics are enjoying on the second evening of again to again video games and within the third recreation in 4 nights. The Celtics are 10-2 on the second evening of again to again video games, shedding solely to Charlotte and Milwaukee. The Celtics are 3-1 on the second of again to again video games when each are performed on the street.
The Celtics stay 1st within the East, 11 video games forward of 2nd place Milwaukee, 12 video games forward of third place Cleveland, 14 video games forward of 4th place Orlando, 14.5 video games forward of fifth place New York, and 17 video games forward of sixth place Indiana. They’re 23-11 on the street and 8-2 of their final 10 video games. They’re 37-7 towards Japanese Convention groups and have gained their final 8 video games.
The Bulls are ninth within the East, 3.5 video games forward of tenth place Atlanta and eight video games forward of eleventh place Brooklyn. They’re 4.5 video games behind seventh place Miami and eighth place Philadelphia. They’re 5 video games behind sixth place Indiana and the ultimate assured playoff spot. The Bulls are 18-17 at residence and 6-4 of their final 10 video games. They’re 18-22 towards Japanese Convention groups and are coming off a loss of their final recreation.
The Celtics simply completed up 2 video games at residence, beating the Pistons and likewise the Milwaukee Bucks. They’re enjoying within the second recreation of a 6 recreation street journey by means of Detroit, Chicago, 2 video games in Atlanta, New Orleans and Charlotte. They’ll return residence for 3 video games towards Oklahoma Metropolis, Sacramento, and Portland. Then it’s one recreation in Milwaukee earlier than ending the season at residence towards New York, Charlotte and Washington.
The Bulls are enjoying within the first recreation of a 3 recreation residence stand with Washington and Indiana coming in after the Celtics. They’ll then play at Brooklyn and Minnesota earlier than returning residence to host Atlanta and New York. They’ll play at Orlando and residential towards New York earlier than ending the season on the street towards New York, Detroit, and Washington.
As soon as once more, it’s robust to foretell who will play for the Celtics with a number of gamers questionable. Since they performed in Friday’s portion of the again to again, I’m going to guess that Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown is not going to play on this one. Jayson Tatum and Al Horford will seemingly play. Jrue Vacation has missed 3 video games with a shoulder contusion and should miss this one additionally. I’m guessing that the starters will likely be Pritchard, White, Hauser, Tatum and Horford. That’s simply my guess, nevertheless.
For the Bulls, Lonzo Ball has missed the complete season with numerous knee accidents. They’re hoping that he’ll be capable of play subsequent season. Zach LaVine is out after season-ending surgical procedure on his proper foot. Julian Phillips is out with a proper foot sprain. Patrick Williams underwent surgical procedure to repair bone edema in his left foot and will likely be out for the rest of the season. Coby White (hip) and Alex Caruso (ankle) are each possible for this recreation.
Possible Celtics Starters
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Celtics ReservesOshae BrissettLuke KornetSvi MykhailiukJaden SpringerJordan WalshXavier Tillman
2 Approach PlayersJD DavisonDrew PetersonNeemias Queta
Accidents/OutKristaps Porzingis (hamstring) questionable Jaylen Brown (ankle) questionable Jrue Vacation (shoulder) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Bulls Reserves Onuralp Bitim Jevon CarterAndre DrummondTerry Taylor Dalen TerryCoby White
Two Approach Gamers Andrew FunkHenri DrellAdama Sanogo
Accidents/Out Lonzo Ball (knee) out Zach LaVine (foot) outJulian Phillips (foot) out Patrick Williams (foot) out Coby White (hip) possible Alex Caruso (ankle) possible
Head Coach Billy Donovan
Key Matchups
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Jaylen Brown
Images by Michael Gonzales/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs
DeMar DeRozan
Picture by Scott Taetsch/Getty Photographs
Jaylen Brown vs DeMar DeRozan DeRozan is averaging 23.1 factors, 4.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 steals per recreation. He’s capturing 47.2% from the sphere and 33.5% from past the arc. Towards the Celtics this season, DeRozan averaged 19 factors, 3 rebounds and 5.5 assists whereas capturing 45.2% from the sphere and 33.3% from past the arc. DeRozan is excellent and the Celtics have to defend him, particularly within the mid-range.
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Al Horford
Picture by Brian Babineau/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs
Nikola Vucevic
Picture by Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs
Al Horford vs Nikola VucevicVucevic is averaging 18.2 factors, 10.7 rebounds and three.3 assists per recreation. He’s capturing 47.9% from the sphere and 28.6% from past the arc. Towards the Celtics this season, he averaged 15 factors, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, whereas capturing 46.7% from the sphere with no 3 pointers. The Celtics have to preserve him off the boards.
Honorable MentionSam Hauser vs Coby WhiteWhite has had an excellent yr and has began for a lot of the season for the Bulls however in current video games has come off the bench. He’s averaging 19.4 factors, 4.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per recreation. He’s capturing 45.1% from the sphere and 38.8% from past the arc. Towards the Celtics this season, he has averaged 19.5 factors, 1.5 rebounds and three.5 assists whereas capturing 44.8% from the sphere and 50% from past the arc.
Keys to the Sport Protection – Protection is at all times a key to profitable. The Celtics are 2nd within the league with a defensive score of 110.4. The Bulls are sixteenth with a defensive score of 115.5. The Celtics have to get a robust defensive effort from each participant on the court docket and they should make protection a precedence for all 48 minutes with no slacking off.
Rebound – The Celtics should field out and crash the boards. They’ll’t rating with out the ball and it’ll take further effort on their half to beat the Bulls on the boards. The Celtics are averaging 46.8 rebounds per recreation, which is 1st within the league. The Bulls are averaging 43.6 rebounds per recreation, which is seventeenth. The Celtics must put out extra effort to get to the rebounds earlier than the Bulls and provides themselves further possessions and restrict these possessions for the Bulls.
Take Care of the Ball – The Celtics have to give attention to making good passes and on not dribbling right into a crowd. It’s onerous to win a recreation if you give the opponent 15+ further possessions by turning the ball over. The Bulls are ninth within the league with 17.1 factors off turnovers a recreation and the Celtics must give attention to taking good care of the basketball to restrict these further factors for the Bulls.
Don’t Underestimate – The Celtics can’t underestimate the Bulls. They could be tempted to as a result of the Bulls have a shedding file and since they beat them twice already this season. However that could possibly be harmful towards a staff that’s in the course of the East and has younger gamers who will play onerous and need to win. The Celtics have to return out and play onerous from begin to end.
X-Components Highway Sport and Fatigue – The Celtics are enjoying on the street and could have the distractions of journey and a lodge keep and enjoying in entrance of hostile followers in an unfamiliar enviornment. The Celtics are enjoying on the second evening of again to again video games and within the third recreation in 4 nights together with enjoying brief handed in these video games. Fatigue may come into play on this one.
Officiating – The officiating is at all times an x-factor. Typically a crew will name the sport tight and blow a whistle on each play. Different occasions they’ll allow them to play and let the sport get bodily. The Celtics want to regulate to the way in which the sport known as and never let missed calls or dangerous calls have an effect on their focus. If the calls are dangerous, they only have to play more durable to make up for them and never waste time arguing with the officers.
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