NBA Preview: Celtics vs. Bulls Predictions

Written by Jake Thompson
Thursday, 16 February 2012 16:45

Our Celtics vs. Bulls preview will make predictions on the best bet to make on Thursday.

The Boston Celtics (15-13) meet up with the Chicago Bulls (24-7) on Thursday night, and this game is set to be shown live on the TNT channel.  The Celtics and Bulls will tip off at 8:00 PM ET and our preview will break down the strengths and weaknesses of both clubs before making predictions on the final score.

Boston has been a bit tough to figure out this season, and their 4-5 road record doesn’t stand up in comparison to the Bulls’ 10-1 mark in Chicago.  Boston won 95-91 as a 1-point home underdog in the last meeting against Chicago this season, but the Bulls won 88-79 as a 1-point road favorite this year as well.  The Bulls were 97-81 winners the last time they played host to the Celtics and the win marked the 3rd time in the last 4 games in which Chicago covered the betting odds.

Bovada Sportsbook has the home-team Bulls as an 8-point favorite this time around, while the total of 180 has been bet up from an opener of just 177.  Chicago and Boston have gone under the total in 3 of their last 4 head-to-head meetings, although the very last one this season did go over the line by nearly 15 points.

Injuries are surely going to take their toll on deciding the winner in Thursday’s Celtics vs. Bulls game.  Boston forwards Kevin Garnett (hip) and Aleksandar Pavlovic (wrist) are questionable, while forward Brandon Bass (knee) has a few weeks before he is ready to make his return.  Boston has guard Derrick Rose (back) listed as doubtful to play here, while guard Richard Hamilton (groin) is set as “out indefinitely”.

Chicago has managed to win 2 of their last 3 games without Rose in the lineup, but the lone loss was to the Celtics and the victories during that time were over 2 of the worst teams in the league in the Sacramento Kings and the Charlotte Bobcats.  I question Chicago’s ability to score without their star in the lineup, and they’ll be going up against a Boston defense that is finally playing up to their standards after a slow start to the year.

The Celtics still enjoy slowing the game down while searching for their shot, but that might be an issue against the Bulls.  Although Rose is missed on this side of the ball as well, Chicago has a slew of quality defenders that should be able to take away the open looks that the Celtics are used to generating against other teams.  Garnett’s injury could mean the Celtics adopt a quicker pace to the action here, and that is why the total has gone up a few points in my opinion.

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If the Celtics do go a little faster I still don’t believe they’ll be able to score a ton against a defense this strong.  That being said, Chicago won’t light up the bucket at will either without Rose, so this could be a close game.  Ultimately I believe that Boston is good enough to hang in there, and my Celtics vs. Bulls predictions call for a bet on the sizeable underdog to at least keep the score close.

Celtics vs. Bulls Predictions:

Celtics 88

Bulls 93