Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics Pick

NBA Picks

NBA Betting Trends

NBA Pick/Preview

Chicago’s 107-105 overtime victory over Toronto this past Wednesday night as a 4.5-point road favorite was its sixth win in its last eight games. It is now 22-15 straight-up on the year but still just 14-23 against the spread. The Bulls stay on the road where they are a rock-solid 11-5 SU and 9-7 ATS. The total has gone OVER in four of their last six games.

The big question mark for Friday night is the health of Chicago forward Luol Deng, who is the team’s leading scorer with 17.8 points a game. He tweaked his hamstring against the Raptors and remains day-to-day for this game. If he cannot go, then the pressure will be on the Bulls’ defense to shut Boston down. It is currently ranked third in the NBA in points allowed; giving-up an average of 91.7 points a game. A big part of the effort has been Joakim Noah with 10.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.0 blocks a game.

Boston finally got something going this season with a six-game winning streak but it ran into a wall on Wednesday night in a sloppy 90-78 loss to New Orleans as an 8.5-point home favorite. The Celtics are now 20-18 SU on the year but only 14-21-3 ATS. They are 13-7 SU at home this season but under .500 ATS at 8-10-2. The total has stayed UNDER in their last six home games.

Age and depth remain a pressing issue for the Celtics, but veteran players Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo continue to do their best to keep this team as competitive as possible. Pierce leads the team in scoring with 19.4 points while Garnett is averaging 14.6 points and seven rebounds a game. Rondo remains one of the league leaders in assists with 11.2 while chipping in another 13 points a game. Defense still remains Boston’s primary strength; holding teams to an average of 95.7 points a game.

Prediction

The lines for this game will depend on Deng’s playing status, but assuming that he is ready to go the play in this game remains with the Bulls. They have covered in eight of the last 12 meetings and while they may not come away with the SU win at the very least they will keep things close enough to cover again. Boston 91 Chicago 89