The Celtics already put Chicago in a deep hole once this week, and they get another crack at the Bulls on Friday night with a chance to finish off a four-game homestand cleanly. Boston rolled to a 134-99 win over Chicago on Monday, then followed it up by surviving the Nets in overtime the next night. The Bulls, meanwhile, came home and took a 133-127 loss to the Knicks on Wednesday.
That Monday meeting was one-sided from the jump, and Boston has now taken five of the last six matchups against Chicago. The only time the Bulls have been able to hang around in that stretch came in their upset win, when they covered the spread.
Jayson Tatum has been the driving force for Boston to open the season, and he’s coming in hot. He’s averaging 28 points per game on 43% shooting through four games, even with a rough opener in which he scored 13 points on 6 of 23 shooting. Since then, he’s piled up 36 against the Knicks, 23 against the Bulls, and 40 against Brooklyn in that overtime win.
That makes him the obvious player to keep an eye on again Friday, especially with Boston opening NBA Cup Group Play. And with point differential serving as a tiebreaker in the tournament, the Celtics have every reason to keep pushing if the game opens up.
Boston already showed what this matchup can look like when it’s clicking, covering as 14.5-point favorites earlier this week and winning by 35. The number is even bigger this time at 15.5, but Chicago has already been beaten badly in both of its games this season when listed as an underdog of 10 or more points, including the 135-92 loss in Toronto to start the year.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
In Other News...
Joe Mazzulla Just Drew A Line Around Bostons Biggest Priority
Joe Mazzulla used a recent radio appearance to make the Celtics priorities pretty clear: the conversation in Boston is about the group in front of them, not the baggage from the past. Asked about former player Jaylen Brown, Mazzulla acknowledged what Brown meant to the franchise, but he kept steering the focus back to the current roster, the trust being built inside the room and the identity Boston is trying to shape early in the season.
It is a familiar kind of boundary-setting from a coach who knows how quickly outside storylines can pull attention away from the work at hand. Boston has opened 3-1 and is trying to turn that start into something more durable, which makes Mazzullas message feel less like a deflection than a reminder that the Celtics would rather define themselves by what they are building now than by what they have already moved past. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Face A Costly Decision On Trey Murphy III
Trey Murphy III keeps surfacing as the kind of name that can tempt a contender looking for another long-term wing, and Boston fits that description better than most. The Celtics have had interest in Murphy before, and after adding draft capital in the Jaylen Brown trade, they at least have the kind of assets that make a conversation possible if they choose to revisit the idea.
The catch is that the Pelicans are not treating Murphy like a bargain-bin target, and that is where the real dilemma starts for Boston. With the trade deadline approaching, the Celtics can dream about what Murphy would add to their roster, but there is still a wide gap between curiosity and commitment, and no indication yet that they are actually pushing to close it. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Need More From Mitchell Robinson Than Theyre Getting Right Now
Mitchell Robinsons first season in Boston has not gotten off to the kind of start the Celtics envisioned, and the early returns have shown why the adjustment period matters. The big man is still working his way into the system and back toward full conditioning, while the team has not yet seen the kind of two-way impact it expects from him.
Inside the organization, there is still belief that the production will come as Robinson gets more comfortable and his legs come back. Robinson has been open about his underwhelming start and is motivated to turn it around, which leaves the Celtics in a familiar holding pattern for now: waiting on a player they believe can help, even if the immediate results have not matched the long-term optimism. [Read more 🡒]