The Chicago Bulls will start a two-game road trip on the East Coast, starting with a matchup against the Boston Celtics at 6:30 CT. Chicago is 8-3 in their last 11 games, while Boston has lost two straight games at home but holds the best record in the Eastern Conference, 28-12. On Saturday, the Bulls continued to roll with a 116-108 win over the Jazz, led by Zach Lavine’s 36 points. Boston finished their two-game road trip with a victory over San Antonio, 121-116, once again led by MVP favorite Jayson Tatum, who scored 34 points on 50% shooting from the field and from three.
This game will be the fourth matchup of the season between these teams. After having off-season surgery, Robert Williams will make his first appearance in the season series. Williams is averaging 7.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in nine games this season. Chicago has won two of the three against Boston this season, with the most recent game going in the Bulls’ favor 121-107 on November 21st. The home team has won four of the last five matchups dating back to last season.
Matchup of the Night
Zach Lavine vs Jaylen Brown
While most of the fans will focus on DeMar DeRozan and Jayson Tatum, the matchup of Zach Lavine vs. Jaylen Brown will decide this game. Both of these stars have been hot for their respective teams. First, with Jaylen Brown, he has become an underrated pick for MVP lately, averaging 28.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in his previous ten games. He has helped Boston get control of the top spot in the East. When Jaylen Brown scores more than 28 points, Boston has an 11-6 record. But Brown has struggled against the Bulls this season, averaging 20.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, shooting 40% and 30% from three. Most likely, Brown will be guarded by Bulls second-year guard Ayo Dosunmu.
For Chicago, Zach Lavine has found his role with the Bulls and has improved his field goal and three-point percentage. Lavine is averaging 27.5 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds in his last ten games, shooting 52.8% from the field and 51.4%. Lavine has scored 35+ points in his previous two games. But the issue has been consistency, and that will be a test for Lavine against Boston later tonight. In three games against Boston this season, he has averaged 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists but has shot 47.6% from three. When Zach Lavine scores less than 18 points, Chicago has a 3-4 record.
Keys to the Game
Early Production by Patrick Williams
Getting Patrick Williams is significant if the Bulls want to win the season series. Before putting up seven points Saturday night against Utah, Williams got his offensive game scoring 22 points against Brooklyn and 18 in a great road win over the 76ers. In their last matchup, Williams scored 17 points on 66.7% shooting from the field and made three threes. In the other matchups, he combined to score 11 points. Williams has gotten involved early in games by running pick-and-roll plays or back-door cuts leading to easy dunks but must become more consistent.
One stat to know is Chicago has a perfect 5-0 record when Patrick Williams scores more than 15 points. Williams is averaging 17.8 points in his five games, and four of those wins came against the best in the NBA. Those teams are Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn.
Good Third Quarter Start
In three of their previous four games, Chicago has lost the third-quarter battle, leading to either close games or a loss (Cleveland). When you remove the 40-point third quarter against the 76ers, the Bulls have gotten outscored 110-81 in their previous three games. That includes two 40+ quarters by Cleveland when Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points, and Utah got control of the game Saturday night.
That is not a good look, especially when the Bulls will face the Celtics, who have the seventh-best 3rd Quarter Margin at +1.3. The first five minutes are significant not to allow any runs or to get the Celtics fan making noise. Chicago won the third-quarter battle in the Bulls’ two wins against the Celtics this season. Both teams tied at 30 apiece when the Celtics won 123-119 back on November 4th.
Injury Report
Chicago Bulls
| Player | Injury | Status |
| Lonzo Ball | Knee | Out |
| Javonte Green | Knee | Questionable |
| Alex Caruso | Ankle | Questionable |
| Tony Bradley | COVID | Out |
Boston Celtics
| Player | Injury | Status |
| Marcus Smart | Knee | Doubtful |
| Danilo Gallinari | Knee | Out |
Follow us on Twitter!!!!
Check out other Posts!!
Daily Bulls 
Leave a comment