The Chicago Bulls (12-15) travel to face off against the Boston Celtics (21-5) on Thursday, December 19th. This game will be played at TD Garden in Boston and televised on NBCS. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 7:30 ET.

Bulls vs Celtics

The Bulls Are Coming Off A Win

Chicago improved to 12-15 on the season with a 122-121 win over the Raptors on Monday. The Bulls were favored by 1 point, and the final score resulted in a push. The game’s total of 243 points narrowly exceeded the over/under line of 239.5.

Chicago jumped out to a 33-25 lead after the 1st quarter, but Toronto closed the gap by winning the 2nd quarter 25-20. The Bulls appeared to take control with a 42-34 3rd quarter, leading 95-84 heading into the 4th. However, the Raptors made a strong push, outscoring the Bulls 37-27 in the final period.

The Celtics Are Coming Off A Win

Boston improved to 21-5 this season with a 112-98 win over the Wizards on Sunday. The Celtics, who were -17.5 point favorites, didn’t cover the spread, and the game’s total of 210 points fell short of the 233.5 O/U line.

A key moment came when Boston went on a 15-0 run, turning a 26-23 lead into a 38-26 advantage. They outscored Washington 34-23 in the 1st quarter and 33-29 in the 2nd, then held the Wizards to 20 points in the 3rd before a 26-21 4th quarter for Washington.

Bulls Offense Breakdown

Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 24 points in their 122-121 win over the Raptors, shooting 58.8% from the field and hitting 2 threes at a 50% rate. Coby White contributed 19 points, despite shooting just 33.3%, and made 3 threes at 42.9%.

Chicago connected on 14 threes, shooting 35% from deep and 46.2% overall. Talen Horton-Tucker added 15 points, including 7 in the 1st quarter, while Ayo Dosunmu scored 6 of his 12 points in the 3rd.

Celtics Offense Breakdown

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 28 points and 12 rebounds in their win over the Wizards, scoring 11 points in the 1st quarter and adding 9 more in the 4th. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White each contributed 15 points, with Pritchard hitting 5 threes at a 50% rate.

Boston made 18 threes as a team, shooting 39.1% from deep and 43% overall from the field. Tatum connected on just 2 threes, shooting 22.2% from beyond the arc.

Bulls Team Defense

Defensively, the Bulls started strong, giving up just 25 points in both the 1st and 2nd quarters, but they struggled in the 2nd half, allowing 34 points in the 3rd and 37 in the 4th. Despite these challenges, they managed to hold on for the win, even while allowing the Raptors to shoot 48% from the field.

Chicago did a good job defending the three, limiting Toronto to 9 made threes on 34% shooting. The Raptors went to the line 30 times, making 22 free throws. The Bulls also recorded 12 steals and 8 blocks while giving up 10 offensive rebounds.

Celtics Team Defense

Defensively, the Bulls were solid in the 1st and 2nd quarters, giving up 25 points in each, but they struggled in the 3rd and 4th, allowing 34 and 37 points, respectively. Despite that, they managed to hold the Raptors to just 9 made threes on 34% shooting from beyond the arc.

Chicago sent Toronto to the line 30 times, where the Raptors converted 22 free throws. The Bulls gave up 10 offensive rebounds but recorded 12 steals and 8 blocks in the game.

Bulls vs Celtics Trends

• In their last five games away from home, the Bulls have a straight up record of 3-2 while going 2-2-1 vs the spread. The team averaged 122 points per game in this stretch.
• Across the Celtics last ten home games, the team averaged 121 points per game while allowing 109. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 4-6, while going 8-2 straight-up.
• In their last three games as the betting underdog, the Bulls have a straight up record of 1-2 and an ATS mark of 1-2.
• Across their last three matchups as the betting favorite, the Celtics have an overall record of 2-1 while going 1-2 against the spread.

Bulls vs Celtics Prediction

In this Bulls vs. Celtics matchup, our point-spread bet is on the Bulls at +14.5. While we project the Celtics to win 142-141, our recommendation is to bet on the Bulls for the point-spread.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 242.5 and our model has the Bulls and Celtics finishing with a combined 283 points. Our pick is to take the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.