The Boston Celtics will travel to take on the Chicago Bulls in a Monday night NBA matchup at the United Center in Chicago. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Celtics-Bulls prediction and pick, laid out below.
Boston has gone 13-3 this season, including an impressive nine straight victories. The win streak began with a 123-119 victory over Chicago on November 4. Interim head coach Joe Mazzulla has righted the ship and navigated the team through a murky preseason.
Chicago has not enjoyed the same fate, starting their season 6-10, losers of four games in a row. Billy Donovan rebounded from a losing first season to lead the Bulls to a 46-36 record and playoff appearance last season. Things need to turn around for Chicago, who finds themselves in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.
Here are the Celtics-Bulls NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Celtics-Bulls Odds
Boston Celtics: -6 (-112)
Chicago Bulls: +6 (-108)
Over: 227.5 (-110)
Under: 227.5 (-110)
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are once again leading the way for Boston, as has been the case for a few years now. Tatum leads the team with 30.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, ranking second with 4.5 assists per game. In his last two games, Tatum has scored 19 in each game, yet Boston was victorious in each. Brown ranks second with 25.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. After Tatum and Brown, Malcolm Brogdon, the key offseason pickup, ranks third with 13.0 points per game. Marcus Smart leads the team with 7.1 assists per game, averaging 11.4 points. Smart is the facilitator of the offense, feeding the ball to Tatum and Brown. Al Horford provides a key rebounder, ranking second with 6.9 rebounds, averaging 11.5 points per game.
Boston has shot the ball incredibly well, ranking third with a 48.7 shooting percentage, and third with a 39.1 three point shooting percentage. When given the opportunity, Boston is drilling their free throws, ranking second at 84.5 percent. Boston also ranks second by averaging 120.2 points per game. Defense has been an issues at times, ranking 15th by allowing 113.0 points per game.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
DeMar DeRozan leads the team with 25.2 points and 4.3 assists per game. DeRozan has shot an impressive 52.4 percent from the field. High-flying Zach LaVine ranks second with 20.7 points and 4.0 assists per game. Nikola Vucevic is averaging a double-double, putting up 15.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Vucevic is shooting 46.3 percent from the field, and 38.2 percent from behind the arc. Ayo Dosunmu has improved in his second season, averaging 11.3 points and 3.0 assists per game. Dosunmu has shot 50.0 percent from the field. Alex Caruso has made his presence felt on defense, leading the team with 1.4 steals per game. Chicago is averaging 7.6 steals per game, which ranks 10th in the league.
Chicago has drained their free throws at an 83.7 percent rate, which ranks third in the league. Offense has been a struggle at times for the Bulls, ranking 19th in the league with 110.5 points per game. The Bulls have not shot very well, ranking 15th with a 46.8 shooting percentage. Chicago's defense has been solid, ranking 11th by allowing 111.6 points per game to opponents.
Final Celtics-Bulls Prediction & Pick
Boston is clearly better and deeper than Chicago. The Bulls only have four players averaging double-digit points, while Boston has seven. Neither team is great defensively, comfortably putting this one over.
Final Celtics-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Boston -6 (-112), over 227.5 (-110)
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