Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls Prediction, 5/7/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls

Date: Friday, May 7, 2021

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-2.5)

The Chicago Bulls (26-39) play the Boston Celtics (35-31) at United Center on Friday. The odds on this game have Boston as 2.5-point favorites. The total has been set at 219.

The Boston Celtics stepped onto the hardwood against the Orlando Magic and went home with a win by a final score of 132-96 in their last contest. Boston wrapped up the contest with a 53.1% field goal percentage (51 out of 96) and made 21 of 45 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Celtics buried 9 of 12 attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they earned 45 with 9 of them being offensive. They also dished out 28 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and having 8 steals. With respect to defending, Boston allowed 38.8% from the field on 33 out of 85 shooting. Orlando earned 13 assists and had 7 steals in this contest. Additionally, Orlando had 45 rebounds (10 offensive, 35 defensive) and added 9 rejections. Orlando finished the game at 85.7% from the charity stripe by making 24 of their 28 attempts. They also made 6 out of their 25 attempts from distance.

Kemba Walker is one guy who was a contributor in the matchup. He finished with 32 points on 11 out of 18 shooting. He was on the court for 28:20 mins and collected 3 rebounds. Walker finished 61.1% from the floor and dished out 4 dimes. One more player that had an impact in this contest for the Celtics was Jayson Tatum. He snagged 7 rebounds in 30:52 min played on the night. He shot 45.5% from the floor in this matchup by going 10-of-22 (27 points). When the final whistle was blown, Tatum totaled 3 assists.

Boston will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 35-31 on the season. The Celtics are connecting on 37.6% on three-point attempts (895 of 2,380) and 77.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 113.0 points per game (15th in the league) while shooting 46.8% from the field. They cough up possession 14.2 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 20.4 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Boston is pulling down 44.5 boards per game and has accounted for 1,550 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 23rd in the league in terms of passing the rock. Defensively, the Celtics are forcing 14.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.4 fouls. They are currently ranked 10th in the NBA in allowing assists with 1,586 relinquished for the season. The Celtics are giving up a shooting percentage of 46.3% (941 of 1,279) and they concede 42.2 boards per contest as a team. They are relinquishing 37.2% on three-point shots and they are 10th in basketball in points per game from their opponents (110.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the Chicago Bulls went home defeated by a final of 106-94 when they faced the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bulls recorded 28 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards totaling 40 in the matchup. They turned the ball over 15 times, while earning 7 steals for the matchup. The 76ers committed 13 fouls for the game which took the Bulls to the charity stripe for a total of 14 shots. They were able to make 11 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 78.6%. In terms of shots from distance, Chicago converted 11 of their 34 tries (32.4%). When all was said and done, the Bulls went 36 for 87 from the field which had them sitting at 41.4%. The Bulls permitted the 76ers to make 40 out of their 75 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 53.3% in this game. They finished 39.3% from 3-point land by connecting on 11 of 28 and finished the game at 15 out of 21 at the free throw line (71.4%). Regarding rebounding, Chicago permitted Philadelphia to grab 44 in all (7 on the offensive side).

Coby White ended up being a major contributor for the Bulls for this game. He made 8 of 19 for the game for a field goal percentage of 42.1%, and added 2 rebounds. White accumulated 23 points in his 28:48 minutes on the hardwood and earned 5 assists in the game. Someone else that was important for Chicago was Thaddeus Young. He accumulated 3 assists in his 27:43 minutes played, and he converted 6 of 13 from the floor. Young wrapped this one up going 46.2% from the field and also contributing 13 points and 4 total rebounds.

Chicago has a win-loss mark of 26-39 on the year. As an offensive team, the Bulls are connecting on 47.7% from the field, which is ranked 9th in basketball. Chicago has totaled 7,190 points this year (110.6 per contest) and they pull in 44.5 boards per game. They are getting an assist 26.8 times per contest (7th in basketball) and they are turning it over 15.4 times per contest. The Bulls are committing 19.0 fouls per contest and they go 79.5% from the free throw line. The Bulls are ranked 17th in the league in PPG given up with 112.4. They are forcing 12.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.6% from the floor (26th in basketball). The Chicago defense allows 35.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (741 of 2,087) and opponents are converting on 78.6% of their free throw shots. They surrender 24.2 assists and 42.0 total boards per game, which has them ranked 10th and 4th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago (+2.5)

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