Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls Prediction, 2/22/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls

Date: Thursday, February 22, 2024

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-7)

The Boston Celtics (43-12) are traveling to United Center on Thursday where they will meet the Chicago Bulls (26-29). Boston opens this matchup as 7-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under is 242.5.

The Celtics faced off with the Nets and notched a win by a score of 136-86 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Celtics ended up with 13 and the Nets totaled 12 personal fouls. They also knocked down 10 of 31 tries from 3-point range. Brooklyn finished the contest at 93.3% from the charity stripe by converting 14 of 15 tries. On top of that, Brooklyn snagged 31 rebounds (6 offensive, 25 defensive) and earned 5 blocks. Brooklyn totaled 27 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. In reference to defense, Boston let their opponent shoot 38.3% from the floor on 31 out of 81 shooting. They also dished out 32 dimes for the contest as well as forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In relation to grabbing boards, they compiled 51 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Celtics converted 10 of their 12 shots for a percentage of 83.3%. Boston finished having earned a 57.1% field goal percentage (52 out of 91) and buried 22 of their 45 3-pointers.

Payton Pritchard is a player who came through in this matchup. He accounted for 28 points on 11 of 16 shooting. He played 32 minutes and also snagged 4 rebounds. Pritchard walked away from this one shooting 68.8% from the floor and also totaled 3 assists.

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Boston heads into this matchup with a record of 43-12 this season. They are giving up possession 12.5 times per game and as a unit they are committing 17.1 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Boston is pulling down 47.3 rebounds per contest and has 1,442 dimes this season, which is 18th in the league in terms of passing. The Celtics are connecting on 38.0% on shots from beyond the arc (893 of 2,347) and 80.8% from the charity stripe. They average 120.7 pts per game (5th in the NBA) while hitting 48.1% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Celtics are forcing 11.7 turnovers per game while drawing 18.3 fouls. They give up 35.1% on shots from distance while they are 5th in the league in PPG from their opponents (110.6). The Celtics defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 44.8% (2,281 of 5,089) and they surrender 43.9 boards per game as a squad. They are 5th in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,374 relinquished so far this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Bulls went home defeated by a final of 108-105 when they played the Cavaliers. When it comes to rebounding, Chicago allowed Cleveland to snag 36 in total (6 on the offensive glass). They finished 32.4% from distance by going 12 out of 37 and ended up going 16 out of 21 at the free throw line (76.2%). The Bulls permitted the Cavaliers to make 40 of 83 tries from the field which had them at 48.2% for the matchup. In all, the Bulls finished shooting 38 out of 83 from the floor which had them sitting at 45.8%. In terms of shots from 3-point land, Chicago knocked down 14 out of 33 attempts (42.4%). They were able to knock down 15 of them for a rate of 88.2%. The Cavaliers were called for 18 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Bulls to the charity stripe for 17 shots. They turned it over 14 times, while recording 5 steals in the matchup. The Bulls were able to snag 35 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 for the matchup.

Coby White was important for the Bulls for the matchup. He buried 11 out of 17 in this contest for a field goal rate of 64.7%, and accounted for 7 rebounds. White recorded 32 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 4 dimes in the matchup.

Chicago has a win-loss record of 26-29 on the campaign. The Bulls have committed 19.3 fouls every game and they go 79.1% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 24.3 times per contest (28th in basketball) and they turn the ball over 12.4 times per game. Chicago has accounted for 6,149 pts so far this year (111.8 per contest) and they grab 43.5 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Bulls are shooting 46.7% from the floor, which is 21st in the NBA.

The Bulls are ranked 11th in the NBA in PPG given up with 112.9. They are able to force 14.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 47.0% from the field (10th in basketball). The Chicago defense allows 36.6% on shots from beyond the arc (787 of 2,149) and their opposition makes 78.2% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 27.9 assists and 43.6 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 24th and 15th in basketball.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago (+7)

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