Dwyane Wade of the Chicago Bulls works against Avery Bradley of the Boston Celtics during a game October 27, 2016 (Getty)
In the last game before the All-Star break, the Boston Celtics head to the United Center to play the Chicago Bulls.
The Celtics have been rolling as of late. They enter the match-up February 16 winning their last four games and 11 of their last 12. Isaiah Thomas has been a huge factor in that stretch, averaging 33.9 points in that span with 6.2 rebounds.
The Bulls, on the other hand, enter the game on a bit of a slump, though they got a big home victory against the Toronto Raptors on February 14. They have been depleted due to injuries and will use the All-Star break for some much-needed rest and recovery.
Here’s a preview of what to expect when the two teams play Thursday:
Celtics vs. Bulls Betting Info
Note: All numbers and odds courtesy of OddsShark.com.
Date: Thursday, February 16, 2017
Time & Channel: 8 p.m. Eastern on TNT
Spread: Celtics (+1)
Moneyline: Celtics (-105); Bulls (+103)
Over/Under: 214
Celtics vs. Bulls Prediction
The Bulls have been banged up, though they got Jimmy Butler back from injury in their win against the Raptors. He will play against the Celtics with no restrictions anticipated, and Niko Mirotic is expected to be available for the game.
But Dwyane Wade is out with an illness, which will put more pressure on Butler, who shot 2-of-10 from the field in their last game.
The Celtics are riding the hot hand of Thomas, who has scored at least 20 points in the Celtics’ last 40 games. Expect him to continue on that trend and have a big game against Chicago’s questionable defense. Boston has been having huge performances across the lineup lately as they are currently the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But Boston has struggled recently at the United Center, winning just one of their last seven games against the Bulls in Chicago.
Expect this one to be close and high scoring with the Celtics heading into the All-Star break with another victory.
Prediction: Celtics 117, Bulls 103
