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Chicago Bulls (17-18) at Boston Celtics (22-12)
Monday, January 5, 2025
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #35, Home Game #16
TV: NBCSB, Chicago Sports Network, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WSCR 670 AM
TD Garden
Probable Starting MatchupsPoint Guard
vs
Derrick White vs Tre Jones
Shooting Guard 
vs
Payton Pritchard vs Coby White
Small Forward 
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Isaac Okoro
Power Forward 
vs
Sam Hauser vs Matas Buzelis
Center 
vs
Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Chris Boucher
Xavier Tillman
Josh Minott
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Jordan Walsh
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Bulls Reserves Jevon Carter
Ayo Dosunmo
Kevin Huerter
Julian Phillips
Dalen Terry
2 Way Players Trentyn Flowers
Emanuel Miller
Lachlan Olbrich
Injuries/Out Zach Collins (toe) out
Noa Essengue (shoulder) out
Trentyn Flowers (knee) out
Josh Giddey (hamstring) out
Jalen Smith (concussion) out
Coby White (calf) probable
Head Coach Billy Donovan
Game Notes The Celtics return home from a 4-1 road trip to host the Chicago Bulls. This is the 1st of 3 games between these two teams this season. They will play on January 24th in Chicago and on February 11 in Boston. The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season. The Bulls haven't won the season series with the Celtics since 2020-21. The Celtics are 137-110 overall all time against the Bulls and they are 78-40 in games played in Boston.
Unlike the Celtics, who have 8 new players this season, the Bulls haven't changed their roster all that much since last season. They made one trade that sent Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro. They had signed Ball to a 2 year extension in February but traded him in the off season. The Bulls also drafted noa Essengue with the 12th pick in the draft and they chose Lachlan Olbrich with the 55th pick, and signed him to a 2 way contract.
The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 3.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, and half a game behind 2nd place New York. They are 2 games ahead of 4th place Toronto, 2.5 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 3 games ahead of 6th place Orlando. The Celtics are 15-8 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 10-5 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.
The Bulls are 9th in the East, 9 behind first place Detroit, 2.5 games behind 6th place Orlando, 2 games behind 7th place Miami and 9th place Cleveland. They are 1 game ahead of 10th place Atlanta and 2 games ahead of 11th place Milwaukee. The Bulls are 13-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 7-9 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
The Celtics just returned from a 5 game road trip in which they beat Indiana, Utah, Sacramento and the Clippers but lost to Portland. This is their first game back at home after the trip and this game begins a 4 game home stand where they host Chicago, Denver, Toronto, and San Antonio before a 4 game road trip through Indiana, Miami, Atlanta and end the trip at Detroit.
The Bulls are playing in the first of 2 road games and will play at Detroit before returning home to host miami and Dallas. They then play at Houston, and home against Utah before a home and home series vs Brooklyn. Then they host the Clippers, play at Minnesota and then host Boston and the Lakers before a 5 game road trip through Indiana, Miami twice, Milwaukee, and Toronto.
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) remains the only player on the Celtics injury report. For the Bulls, Zach Collins is out with a sprained right toe. Noa Essengue is out for the season after having shoulder surgery. Trentyn Flowers will miss his 5th straight game due to a sprained right knee. Josh Giddey is out due to a left hamstring strain. Jalen Smith is out due to a concussion. Coby White has missed the past 3 games due to a calf injury. He has been upgraded to probable for this game and will likely move back into the starting lineup at shooting guard.
Key Matchups vs
Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is averaging 16.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 50.6% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc. Over his career against Boston, he has averaged 16.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards, but they also need to defend him on the perimeter as he is a good 3 point shooter.
vs
Payton Pritchard vs Coby White
White is averaging 19.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44.5% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him on the perimeter because, although he is streaky, he can catch fire from out there. He has missed the last 3 games with a calf injury and was originally questionable but has been upgraded to probable for this game.
Honorable MentionSam Hauser vs Matas Buzelis
Buzelis is averaging 14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field and 33.9% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds. With Coby White likely returning to the starting lineup, I'm guessing that Buzelis will start here, but that is speculation on my part.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics are 15th in the league with a defensive rating of 114.5. The Bulls are 23rd with a defensive rating of 117.2. The Bulls are 21st with an offensive rating of 113.5 while the Celtics are 2nd with an offensive rating of 122.3. The Celtics need to get a strong defensive effort from every player on the court and they need to make defense a priority for all 48 minutes with no slacking off. The Celtics need to especially guard the 3 point line as the Bulls attempt 38.9 threes per game (9th) and they make 14 threes per game (10th).
Rebound - The Celtics must box out and crash the boards. They can't score without the ball and it will take extra effort on their part to beat the Bulls on the boards. The Celtics are averaging 43.8 rebounds per game, which is 18th in the league. The Bulls are averaging 45.6 rebounds per game, which is 6th. The Celtics have to put out more effort to get to the rebounds before the Bulls and give themselves extra possessions and limit those possessions for the Bulls.
Energy and Effort for 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to start the game with energy and have to play harder than the Bullsd from the opening tip until the final buzzer. The Bulls are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have been playing very well and the Celtics can't expect to win with less than 100% effort for all 4 quarters. They have to be the more aggressive team, getting off to a fast start and playing hard right up to the final buzzer with no let up. They will get the Bulls best effort and so the Celtics must work harder than the Bulls with no let up.
Three Point Shooting - The Celtics often shoot 3s at a historic rate but there are times when their shots just aren't falling. The Celtics are 2nd in the league, taking 43.1 threes per game. The Bulls are 9th, taking 38.9 threes per game. The Celtics make 15.8 threes per game while the Bulls make 14 threes per game. The Celtics need to focus on taking good shots and they need to move the ball so as to get open shots. If the 3s aren't falling, they need to get to the basket or take mid-range shots.
X-Factors Back at Home - The Celtics are at home and will have the crowd behind them to give them extra motivation. This is the first game home after a long road trip and often that is a tough game for teams to win, especially after a big win in their last game on the road trip. The Bulls have all the distractions of playing on the road including travel, staying in hotels, playing in front of a hostile crowd and on an unfamiliar court.
Officiating - The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a crew will call the game tight and blow a whistle on every play. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical. Sometimes they will favor one team over the other and other times they will call it even. Sometimes they are just bad. The Celtics need to 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 need to play harder to make up for them and not waste time arguing with the officials.
Topic: Bulls (17-18) at Celtics (22-12) Game #35 1/5/26 (Read 660 times)