Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics
Friday, 12/3/10, 8:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Boston -6.5
Current Betting Line: Boston -5
Opening Total: 190
Current Total: 190
Chicago suffered an embarrassing 107-78 loss to the Orlando Magic in returning home from its annual circus trip and it was even more startling due to the debut of forward Carlos Boozer. “I think our team is a lot better than we showed,” said Boozer. “We’re going to move forward. The Bulls are 2-3 against the Eastern Conference this year, including an 0-1 mark on the road, which was actually a 110-105 overtime loss at tonight’s venue. Chicago trails the all-time series 110-86, with the two teams splitting the season series 2-2 last year, as the Bulls won the final two games. Over the last three-plus years, the Bulls are 3-9 versus the Celtics during the regular season. The team is 10-6 ATS on the season and currently a five-point underdog on the NBA lines page.
The Bulls are led by star point guard Derrick Rose, who is currently second in the NBA when combining points, rebounds and assists by averaging 38.0 per game. Chicago still prides itself in playing solid defense and it certainly shows in the record, tallying an 8-3 mark this season when holding opponents to under 100 points. Over the last 11 games, the unit has limited the opponent to just 96.3 points per game. The Bulls have been solid on the boards, ranking third in the NBA and third in blocks per game with 6.50 send backs a contest.
Boston has a solid 14-4 record and is tied atop the East with an Orlando Magic club that just dismantled tonight’s opponent. The Celtics received a scare against Portland on Wednesday night, almost blowing a 16-point lead, only to hold onto a 99-95 victory. “We didn’t go through the finish line,” said forward Paul Pierce. “We didn’t finish them off when we had the chance.” The team comes into this conference matchup on a five-game winning streak and will be poised to improve upon its 8-1 record at the TD Garden. Boston is 11-7 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points over the past three years.
The Celtics are a formidable 11-2 versus the Eastern Conference, which includes a spotless 7-0 home record. Boston was led by Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in the previous meeting this year, scoring 25 and 16 points respectively. During last year’s four-game series, Pierce led the team in scoring by averaging 21.0 points a game. Head coach Doc Rivers was honored by the league for the team’s performance in November, being named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Coach of the Month.
Bettors will find that the Bulls are 6-0 ATS following a SU loss of more than 10 points, while the Celtics are 14-5-1 ATS following a spread loss.
The hard court action is heating up and the NBA handicappers at Maddux Sports have started the season in blistering fashion. Don’t miss out and get their plays today!
