Celtics vs. Bulls Pick
Are the Boston Celtics going to cover the spread on the road a second straight day tonight when they play at the Chicago Bulls? Tip-off is at 8PM ET.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Celtics are listed as a 7.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 197 points.
Boston comes in with a 23-5 overall record and 20-7-1 ATS after a 91-81 victory Sunday at the Pistons. Chicago is 5-20 overall and 12-12-1 ATS following a 104-102 home win over the Knicks. The Celtics went 6-4 straight up and 6-4 ATS in 10 meetings last season. The under went 7-3.
In the victory at Detroit, Al Horford led the way with 18 points along with nine rebounds and six assists. He also blocked two shots. Kyrie Irving tallied 16 points, three rebounds and three assists. Jaylen Brown tallied 12 points and three rebounds. Marcus Smart added 12 points, three assists and two rebounds off the bench. Boston led by a count of 73-59 through three quarters of play.
Nikola Mirotic had 19 points and three rebounds off the bench in his second game back from a facial injury suffered when teammate Bobby Portis punched him at a preseason practice. Kris Dunn had 17 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals. He also hit two late free throws to clinch it. Lauri Markannen recorded 15 points and eight rebounds. David Nwaba added 15 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots off the bench. Chicago outscored the Knicks 36-32 in the fourth quarter.
Boston is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings. The under is 6-0 in the last six meetings in Chicago.
The Bulls are now 2-0 with Mirotic back in the lineup and are now more rested than the Celtics, who are on a back-to-back. As evidenced by its .500 ATS record, Chicago isn’t getting blown out every night and are an improved team with the scoring ability of Mirotic available. I like the hosts to make this a close game tonight and cover the spread.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: CHICAGO BULLS +7.5