The Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls will face off at the United Center on Friday night. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Celtics-Bulls prediction and pick.

This will be the third and final meeting between the Celtics and the Bulls in 2021. Each team has collected a 16-point win of their own in the first two, which makes this matchup the ultimate decider in the season series.

Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Celtics-Bulls NBA odds.

NBA Odds: Celtics-Bulls Odds

Boston Celtics -3.5 (-110)

Chicago Bulls +3.5 (-110)

Over 222.5 Points (-110)

Under 222.5 Points (-110)

Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread

The Boston Celtics are right in the middle of a loaded war for positioning in the Eastern Conference standings come playoff time. Boston is two games back of the fourth-seed and one game ahead of the dreaded seventh-seed in the east. The ladder would grant them a birth into the first ever play-in tournament. Needless to say, the Celtics definitely don't want to slip any further down the ranks with six games left to play.

Boston is definitely not in the position that they hoped to be in when the season kicked off back in December. Despite the steady struggles and teeter-totter type of season, they still control their fate with just a week left to play. The Celtics have been rising to the challenge lately, winning three of their last four games coming in.

This game is of the utmost importance for Boston as they have two-straight games against the seventh-seeded Miami Heat looming. The positive for Boston in this situation is that they get a little taste of the postseason before it officially kicks off. The question is, will they be able to rise to the occasion?

Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread

The Chicago Bulls have had horrible luck over the past few weeks. It all started when All-Star guard Zach LaVine entered the league's health and safety protocols, which ultimately kept him out for 11 games during a crucial stretch of the Bulls season. The Bulls went 4-7 without their leading scorer and lost all hope of a playoff birth in 2021.

Luckily for Bulls fans, they get to watch their exciting young star take the court for the remainder of the regular season. It'll be interesting to see how he and Nikola Vucevic perform together for a stretch of games. Chicago picked up a convincing win in Charlotte with the two stars on the court on Thursday. The NBA odds in this one indicate a nail-biter could be in store.

LaVine wasn't much of a factor in the win as he scored just 13 points and seemed more focused on getting acclimated throughout. Nikola Vucevic carried his club with 29 points and 14 boards in another dominant performance. The potential that this team possesses with these two on the court is scary to think about.

Final Celtics-Bulls Prediction & Pick

I could see this game being full of action on both ends of the floor throughout. I give the edge to Boston for a few reasons, though. For starters, Vucevic is listed as questionable as he continues to deal with tightness in his right adductor and LaVine is listed as doubtful on the back end of this back-to-back. If even one of those two aren't on the court, the Celtics could run away with this one early. Boston is playing great basketball right now and has dominated Chicago in recent history.

FINAL PICK: Boston Celtics -3.5 (-110)