The Chicago Bulls host the Boston Celtics for the 4th and final group play game for the Emirates NBA Cup. Both of these teams are 2-1 in group play and this game is quite important for both teams. To advance, the Celtics need to beat the Bulls and the Cavaliers need to beat the Hawks. The Cavs/Hawks game is at 2:30 on Friday and so the Celtics will know the results before tip off in this game.
The Celtics are 8-1 on the road and they are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 13-2 against Eastern Conference teams and have won their last 6 games. The Bulls are 2-6 at home (and 6-6 on the road). They are 4-6 in their last 10 games. Over their last 7 games, they have alternated between losses and wins, ending with a loss on Wednesday. They are 7-5 against Eastern Conference teams.
The Bulls are playing in the 3rd game in 4 nights. They played back to back games on the road on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is the first of 2 home games. They will host the Nets on Monday and then play at San Antonio. They will return home to face Indian and Philadelphia before a home and home set against the Celtics on 12/19 and 12/21.
The Celtics haven’t played since Monday when they hosted the Los Angeles Clippers on the second night of back to back games. After this game at Chicago, they will play at Cleveland before returning home for a 5 game home stand against Miami, Detroit, Milwaukee, Memphis and Chicago. They then visit Chicago and Orlando before another 4 game home stand where they host Philadelphia, Indiana twice, and Toronto.
This is the first of 4 meetings between these two teams this season. They will meet again in a home and home series at Boston on December 19 and at Chicago on December 21. They will face off a final time in Boston on January 29. Boston won the series 3-0 last season. They are 134-109 overall all time against the Bulls and they are 53-69 all time in Boston.
Kristaps Porzingis returned to the Celtics on Monday against the Clippers. Luke Kornet missed 3 games with hamstring tightness but is listed as probable for this game. For Chicago, Lonzo Ball returned on Wednesday from a 15 game absence with a wrist sprain and is probable for this game. Dalen Terry left Wednesday’s game with an ankle injury and is questionable for this game.
Starting shooting guard, Coby White is questionable for this game with a wrist sprain. I’m guessing that Lonzo Ball may get the start if White can’t play. Patrick Williams has missed the last 5 games after imaging revealed inflammation in his surgically repaired left foot. He is out for this game. Adama Sanogo is out with a knee injury. Jalen Smith is questionable with an ankle injury.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Jaden Springer
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser
Baylor Scheierman
Neemias Queta
Xavier Tillman
Luke Kornet
Al Horford
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Luke Kornet (hamstring) probable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Bulls Starters
Bulls Reserves
Lonzo Ball
Matas Buzelis
Jevon Carter
Torrey Craig
Chris Duarte
Talen Horton-Tucker
Julian Phillips
Two Way Players
EJ Liddell
DJ Steward
Adama Sanogo
Injuries/Out
Lonzo Ball (wrist) probable
Adama Sanogo (knee) out
Jalen Smith (ankle) questionable
Dalen Terry (ankle) questionable
Patrick Williams (foot) out
Head Coach
Billy Donovan
Key Matchups
Jaylen Brown vs Zach LaVine
LaVine is averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He is shooting 51% from the field and 43.4% from beyond the arc. Against Boston over his career, he averaged 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He shoots the ball very well and so the Celtics need to stay with him both inside and on the perimeter in order to limit his scoring
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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 20.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. He is shooting 57.1% from the field and 44.9% from beyond the arc. Over his career against Boston, he averaged 16.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Porzingis should help the Celtics to improve their interior defense but they need to try to keep Vucevic off the boards and limit his shots, as he shoots the ball very well.
Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs Coby White
White is averaging 18.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 44.1% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc. Over his career against Boston, White averaged 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. White is questionable for this game so it may be Lonzo Ball or another shooting guard starting here.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics are 8th in the league with a defensive rating of 110.2. The Bulls are 27th with a defensive rating of 117.8. The Bulls are 5th, scoring 118 points per game while the Celtics are 3rd, scoring 120.2 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 shoot very well from the perimeter.
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 42.8 rebounds per game, which is 21st in the league. The Bulls are averaging 44.2 rebounds per game, which is 13th. 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 50.6 threes per game. The Bulls are 3rd, taking 43.5 threes per game. The Bulls are more efficient, shooting 38.3% from beyond the arc (5th) while the Celtics shoot 37.5% from beyond the arc (9th). 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.
Points in the Paint – The Celtics are last in the league with 39.3 points in the paint. The Bulls are 20th with 46.7 points in the paint. However, the Celtics are 26th, allowing opponents 53.2 points in the paint. The Bulls are 30th, allowing 54.1 points in the paint. I expect the Celtics to do better at defending the paint now that Porzingis is back. I’m not sure they will score a lot more in the paint unless their 3’s aren’t falling. But, they need to limit teams from getting easy baskets in the paint.
X-Factors
Road Game and Fatigue – The Celtics are playing on the road and will have the distractions of travel and a hotel stay and playing in front of hostile fans in an unfamiliar arena. The Celtics have had off since Monday and should be well rested. The Bulls are playing in the 3rd game in 4 nights. Fatigue could come into play down the stretch for the Bulls.
Emirates NBA Cup Game – This is the final in-season tournament game for both of these teams. Both teams are 2-1 in tournament play. The Celtics have a point differential of +14 while the Bulls have a point differential of +15. Both have a possible path to advancing. Does the tournament give players added motivation to play harder? Will the Celtics go all out to get a win so they can advance? Will the Bulls give it their all to advance and surprise the Celtics?
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. 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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