The Celtics host the Chicago Bulls for the second of 4 games this season. They met in Chicago for the 4th and final group play game for the Emirates NBA Cup on November 29. They will play each other once again in just 2 days in Chicago on Saturday December 21 and their final meeting will be in Boston on January 29. The Celtics swept the series 3-0 last season, winning 2 in Chicago and one in Boston.
Both teams have had a long rest due to the in season tournament. The Celtics last played on Sunday when they beat the Washington Wizards and the Bulls last played on Monday when they beat the Toronto Raptors. The Bulls are 2-8 in their last 10 games against the Celtics. The Celtics are 134-109 overall all time against the Bulls and they are 77-38 in games played in Boston.
The Celtics 2nd in the East, 1.5 games behind first place Cleveland and they are 5 games ahead of 3rd place Orlando. They are are 11-3 at home and they are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 19-3 against Eastern Conference teams and have won their last 2 games. The Bulls are 9th in the East, 11 games out of first place and 2 games behind 7th place Atlanta. They are 8-6 on the road (and 4-9 at home). They are 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 10-8 against Eastern Conference teams and have won their last 2 games.
The Celtics start the post tournament stretch with a home and home series against the Bulls. They play this game in Boston and then again on Saturday in Chicago. They then travel to Orlando for a game before another 4 game home stand where they host Philadelphia, Indiana twice, and Toronto. Then it’s a 4 game Western road trip through Minnesota, Houston, Oklahoma City and Denver before facing Sacramento and New Orleans back at home.
The Bulls also start with the home and home set against the Celtics playing this game in Boston and on Saturday in Chicago. They then face Milwaukee at home followed by Atlanta on the road. Then it’s back home for another game against Milwaukee before playing at Charlotte and at Washington. Then it’s back home for games against the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
After missing Sunday’s game, Al Horford should be back for the Celtics. Kristaps Porzingis left Sunday’s game with a heel injury but practiced on Wednesday and is listed as questionable for this game but if there are no setbacks on Thursday, he will likely play. If he is unable to go, I expect Al Horford to get the start. Sam Hauser is questionable with lower back spasms. Xavier Tillman is questionable with a non-covid illness. All 3 are considered a game time decision.
For the Bulls, Zach LaVine missed Monday’s game with back soreness and was originally questionable for this game but has been removed from the list as of now. Josh Giddey left Monday’s game with an ankle injury. Although the injury isn’t considered to be serious, he is listed as doubtful for this game. EJ Liddell is questionable due to a sore left knee. Dalen Terry was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice and is listed as questionable for this game with a bruised right knee.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Al Horford
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Jordan Walsh
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Sam Hauser (back) questionable
Kristaps Porzingis (heel) questionable
Xavier Tillman (illness) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Bulls Starters
Chicago Bulls Reserves
Ayo Dosunmo
Lonzo Ball
Matas Buzelis
Jevon Carter
Torrey Craig
Chris Duarte
Talen Horton-Tucker
Julian Phillips
Jalen Smith
2-Way Players
EJ Liddell
Adama Sonogo
DJ Steward
Injuries/Out
EJ Liddell (knee) questionable
Dalen Terry (knee) questionable
Josh Giddey (ankle) doubtful
Head Coach
Billy Donovan
Key Matchups
Jaylen Brown vs Zach LaVine
LaVine is averaging 21.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He is shooting 50.1% from the field and 42.8% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 29 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist while shooting 50% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc. Slowing LaVine down will go a long way towards slowing the Bulls down.
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Kristaps Porzingis
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
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Nikola Vucevic
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Kristaps Porzingis vs Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is averaging 21.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. He is shooting 58.7% from the field and 47.5% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block while shooting 68.8% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep Vucevic off the boards and limit his shots both in the paint and on the perimeter, as he shoots the ball very well.
Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs Coby White
Coby White is averaging 18.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting 41.9% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 27.3% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc. I doubt he will play as poorly in this game and the Celtics need to defend him well.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics are 8th in the league with a defensive rating of 109.7. The Bulls are 25th with a defensive rating of 116.2. The Bulls are 6th, scoring 118.9 points per game while the Celtics are 3rd, scoring 119.9 points per game. The Celtics need to win this game with their defense and not try to win a shoot out. The Celtics need to get a strong defensive effort from every player on the court and they need to make defense a priority for all 48 minutes with no slacking off. The Celtics need to especially guard the 3 point line as the Bulls attempt the 2nd most threes per game (43.7) and make the second most threes per game (16.5).
Rebound – The Celtics must box out and crash the boards. They can’t score without the ball and it will take extra effort on their part to beat the Bulls on the boards. The Celtics are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game, which is 11th in the league. The Bulls are averaging 44.3 rebounds per game, which is 12th. The Celtics have to put out more effort to get to the rebounds before the Bulls and give themselves extra possessions and limit those possessions for the Bulls.
Three Point Shooting – The Celtics often shoot 3s at a historic rate but there are times when their shots just aren’t falling. The Celtics are first in the league, taking 51.1 threes per game. The Bulls are 2nd, taking 43.7 threes per game. The Bulls are more efficient, shooting 37.8% from beyond the arc (9th) while the Celtics shoot 37.2% from beyond the arc (13th). The Celtics need to focus on taking good shots and they need to move the ball so as to get open shots. If the 3s aren’t falling, they need to get to the basket.
Maximum Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics losses this season can be traced back to a lack of effort. Also, at times it seems that they either start off slowly and end up in a hole that they need to dig themselves out of or they jump out to a lead only to let up in the second half and allow their opponent to get back into the game and make it close. The Celtics have to get back to playing hard on both ends of the court for the full 48 minutes with no let up.
X-Factors
Home Game and Rust – The Celtics are at home and will have the crowd behind them to give them extra motivation. The Bulls have all the distractions of playing on the road including travel, staying in hotels, playing in front of a hostile crowd and on an unfamiliar court. Both teams may be a bit rusty at the start after playing just 2 games in 11 days. Hopefully the Celtics can shake off the rust first and play well.
Officiating – The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a crew will call the game tight and blow a whistle on every play. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical. Sometimes they will favor one team over the other and other times they will call it even. Sometimes they are just bad. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the game is called and not let missed calls or bad calls affect their focus. If the calls are bad, they just need to play harder to make up for them and not waste time arguing with the officials.
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