The Chicago Bulls will face the Boston Celtics on February 22 (Thursday) at the United Center. The last time these two teams met was at the TD Garden, where the Bulls suffered a crushing 124-97 defeat, but things have changed since then. While the Celtics are poised to reach the playoffs, Chicago is yet to hit the .500 mark and stake their claim to the postseason. The Bulls are ninth in the Eastern Conference. They suffered a close 108–105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers before the ASG weekend. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are on a six-game winning streak. Boston leads the head-to-head record against Chicago, 132-109, in 241 regular season games and is 3-2 in the last five meetings between the two teams.
Preview
The Bulls were one of the teams expected to make big moves before the trade deadline but were held back after Zach LaVine had season-ending foot surgery. However, the trio of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White has ensured that the Bulls are still in playoff contention this season. Although the team still lacks depth, their starting lineup has been impressive. Their defense and pace are still questionable. They could take a lesson from the short-handed LA Lakers, who beat Boston earlier this year by playing tirelessly and not letting players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis dictate the pace of the contest.
Their rivals are the best in the business this season, and they have their reasons. There’s no shortage of firepower on their offense, with Tatum, Brown and Porzingis all putting up good numbers.
Starting lineup
The Celtics have Jaden Springer questionable for Thursday. They are expected to start with the usual lineup of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis. The Bulls will be without Torrey Craig and Patrick Williams. LaVine and Lonzo Ball are out for the season. They will most likely start with Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Nikola Vucevic.
Also Read: 5 Best Rebounding Teams In 2023-24 NBA Season So Far
Prediction
The Chicago Bulls are always unpredictable. They have players who can take the game away from Boston, but that doesn’t happen often. Much of their chances depend on how DeRozan plays on Thursday, and that’s against a strong Celtics team that is fully healthy. Expect the Celtics to go 2-0 against the Bulls this season.
