Sunday afternoon in the NBA we will see the Chicago Bulls travel to the northeast to take on the Boston Celtics. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 pm tipoff and will be televised live on ABC. Currently Chicago is favored by 3 points with the total being set at 173 for this game. The East-leading Chicago Bulls shoot for their sixth straight win when they finish a grueling nine-game road trip at TD Garden vs. the Boston Celtics.
Free Analysis: The Chicago Bulls have finally reached the last stop on their nine-game road trip. The on-court results have been strong, as the Bulls will take a five-game winning streak into TD Garden, but it has come at a cost. Derrick Rose is dealing with back spasms and sat out Friday’s 95-64 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Carlos Boozer totaled 16 points and six boards in the lopsided win. The Bulls, who have the NBA's best record at 23-6, hope to have Derrick Rose back in the lineup this afternoon. Despite getting nominal production from its leader, Chicago hasn't missed a beat. With or without Rose, Chicago has no problem shutting teams down. Rose played limited minutes in the two previous games before sitting Friday and the Bulls surrendered an average of 72.7 points in the three games. Joakim Noah has stepped up lately, averaging 12.6 points on 68 percent shooting and 10.8 rebounds over the last five games. Chicago has already won at TD Garden this season, claiming an 88-79 triumph on Jan. 13 behind 25 points from Rose and 21 points and 16 rebounds from Luol Deng. With Friday's easy victory, the Bulls became the first team ever to win four consecutive road games by at least 20 points. These games have been decided early, with Chicago outscoring its last four opponents by an average of 14.5 first-quarter points. The Celtics, meanwhile, lost their second straight contest on Friday in Toronto, falling to the Raptors 86-74. It was a modicum of revenge for Toronto, which was routed by the Celtics 100-64 back on Feb. 1. Kevin Garnett paced the Celtics with 17 points to go with eight rebounds, while Paul Pierce added 12 points and five assists in defeat. The Celtics, who had won nine of ten before Thursday's defeat, dropped back-to-back games for the first time since a five-game skid Jan. 6-16. "We just didn't show the mental toughness," Paul Pierce said. "We feel like we're getting so close to being the team we want to be and to take a couple of steps back is definitely frustrating. These are games we're supposed to win." Awful. Just awful," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers when asked about the first frame. "I was really frustrated." Celtics center Jermaine O'Neal did not play against the Raptors with a sore left shoulder and remains questionable for today's game. The Bulls have taken the last three meetings in the series while holding the Celtics to an average of 79.7 points.
Free Pick: I really see this as a low scoring game. The way the Bulls have been playing defense this year, especially of late has been amazing. The Bulls have allowed just 86.9 ppg on 42.3% shooting overall, while in their last 4 games they have allowed just 77 ppg on 37.8% shooting. The Bulls have limited the Celtics to just 79.7 ppg in the last 3 meetings, including allowing just 79 points in an earlier meeting at the Garden. The Celtics know a little something about defense as they have allowed just 86.6 ppg on 41.8% shooting, while at the Garden they have allowed a mere 82.2 ppg on 40.3% shooting. The Bulls have the ability to put points on the board, while the Celtic offense has looked better of late, but still With Rose hurting the Bulls have really clamped it down at the defensive end, while the Celts are still scoring just 89.2 ppg at home. Neither team wants to run here and with both teams playing lockdown defense I expect this one in the 160's at best.
Free Picks: Bulls at Celtics Bettinghttp://PregameVideos.com - Revenge game for Celtics and Last game in 9 game road trip for Bulls plus other factors NBA bettors need to know about Bulls at Celtics (Sunday, February 12, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Bryan Leonard and analysis from host Vegas Runner.