Boston Celtics (15-3) at Chicago Bulls (8-12) Game #19 11/29/24

The Chicago Bulls host the Boston Celtics for the fourth and final group stage game of the Emirates NBA Cup. Both these teams are 2-1 in group play and this match is quite important for both teams. To advance, the Celtics must beat the Bulls and the Cavaliers must beat the Hawks. The Cavs/Hawks game is at 2:30 on Friday, so the Celtics will know the results before betting on this game.

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 matches, they have alternated between losses and wins, ending with a loss on Wednesday. They are 7-5 against Eastern Conference teams.

The Bulls play in the third 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 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 have not played since Monday when they hosted the Los Angeles Clippers on the second night of back-to-back games. After this game in Chicago, they will play in Cleveland before returning home for a 5-game homestand against Miami, Detroit, Milwaukee, Memphis and Chicago. They then visit Chicago and Orlando before another 4 game homestand where they host Philadelphia, Indiana twice and Toronto.

This is the first of 4 meetings between these two teams this season. They meet again in a home-and-home series in Boston on December 19th and in Chicago on December 21st. They will meet one last time in Boston on January 29. Boston won the series 3-0 last season. They are 134-109 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 strain but is listed as probable for this game. For Chicago, Lonzo Ball returned Wednesday from a 15-game absence with a sprained wrist and is likely 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 sprained wrist. I guess Lonzo Ball can 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 match. Adama Sanogo is out with a knee injury. Jalen Smith is questionable with an ankle injury.

Probable Celtics starters

Celtic’s reserves
Payton Pritchard
Jaden Springer
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser
Baylor Scheierman
Nehemiah Queta
Xavier Tillman
Luke Kornet
Al Horford

2 way players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anthony Watson

Injuries/Out
Luke Kornet (hamstring) likely

Head coach
Joe Mazzulla

Likely Bulls Starters

Bull’s reserves
Lonzo Ball
Matas Buzelis
Jevon Carter
Torrey Craig
Chris Duarte
The Horton-Tucker speech
Julian Phillips

Two-way players
EJ Liddell
DJ Stewart
Adama Sanogo

Injuries/Out
Lonzo Ball (wrist) probable
Adama Sanogo (knee) out
Jalen Smith (ankle) questionable
Dalen Terry (ankle) doubtful
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 shoots 51% from the field and 43.4% from beyond the arc. Against Boston during his career, he averaged 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He shoots the ball very well and the Celtics need to stick with him both inside and on the rim to limit his scoring

Kristaps Porzingis vs Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is averaging 20.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He shoots 57.1% from the field and 44.9% from beyond the arc. During his career against Boston, he averaged 16.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Porzingis should help the Celtics improve their interior defense, but they must 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. match. He is shooting 44.1% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc. During his career against Boston, White averaged 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. White is questionable for this game, so it could be Lonzo Ball or another shooting guard that starts 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 and score 118 points per game, while the Celtics are 3rd, scoring 120.2 points per game. match. The Celtics need to win this game with their defense and not try to win a shoot out. The Celtics must have a strong defensive effort from every player on the court, and they must prioritize defense for all 48 minutes without slacking off. The Celtics must 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 an extra effort on their part to beat the Bulls on the boards. The Celtics average 42.8 rebounds per game, which is 21st in the league. The Bulls are averaging 44.2 rebounds per game, which is 13. The Celtics need to work harder to get to 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 don’t fall. The Celtics are first in the league with 50.6 threes per. match. The Bulls are third, taking 43.5 threes per game. match. 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 to get open shots. If the 3’s don’t fall, they must get to the basket.

Dots 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 defending the paint now that Porzingis is back. I’m not sure they’ll score much more in the paint unless their 3s don’t fall. But they must limit teams from getting easy baskets in the paint.

The X-Factors
Road games 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 been off since Monday and should be well rested. The Bulls play in the third game in 4 nights. Fatigue could come into play for the Bulls.

Emirates NBA Cup game – This is the last tournament game of the season 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 way forward. Does the tournament give the players extra motivation to play harder? Will the Celtics go all out to win so they can advance? Will the Bulls give it their all to advance and surprise the Celtics?

Official – The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a team will call the game tight and blow the whistle every time. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical. The Celtics must 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 have to play harder to make up for them and not waste time arguing with the officials.

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