On Friday night in the NBA we will see the Chicago Bulls travel to the northeast to take on the Boston Celtics. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. tipoff and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds have Chicago favored by 2.5 points, with the total set at 177.5. After beating the league's worst team to conclude a hectic stretch, the Bulls will try to earn a rare road win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Free Analysis: The Bulls have won both of their lowest point totals on the season and should understand that trying to pull that off against the Boston Celtics will be a tall task. With Rose hampered by a sprained big left toe before Wednesday's game, Chicago (10-2) opted to have him sit out as the team played its third game in three nights and hosted a Washington team with the NBA's worst record. Chicago recorded a 78-64 victory versus Washington on Wednesday and John Lucas III earned the start in place of the dynamic Rose, scoring a career-high 25 points on 11-of-28 shooting to go with eight rebounds and eight assists.Following a day of rest and with a seemingly tougher matchup Friday, the Bulls are looking for a quick return from Rose. That possibility will be contingent upon the pain in his toe subsiding, coach Tom Thibodeau said Wednesday. Rose has averaged 28.6 points over his past five games against Boston and scored 30 or more in each of the final two meetings last season as the Bulls won both. However, those two games came in Chicago after the Bulls had lost both visits to Boston, where the Celtics have won 10 of the past 12 meetings - including playoffs. The Bulls are 6-2 on the road and first in the Central Division. On the injury front for Chicago, guards Richard Hamilton (groin) and C.J. Watson (elbow) are both questionable for Friday. Hamilton, in his first year with the team, has missed five straight and seven of eight games, while Watson hasn't seen the court in each of the previous seven contests. Joakim Noah has double-doubles in his last four visits to Boston but has been struggling, averaging 4.2 points on 30.4 percent shooting in his last five games. He needed his sore left thumb taped in the first half Wednesday and played seven minutes in the second half, none in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Boston will put the finishing touches on a five-game homestand tonight and has lost two in a row since a season-high four-game win streak. The Celtics, who began the shortened season with three straight losses, are coming off Wednesday's 90-85 setback to the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. Ray Allen leads the team in scoring with 19 ppg, but Rondo (15.8 ppg and 101 apg) is the leader of this team. "I think this is his team right now, until everybody else gets it going," Boston coach Doc Rivers said of Rondo. "We need him to be aggressive. We need (him) to be a scorer. And attack. Rondo has only averaged 9.2 points in his last five matchups with the Bulls, though. Boston as a team comes in averaging just 91.9 ppg (23rd), but they do shoot very well as they ahve hit 46.9% of theoir shots overall (4th) and 44.6% from long range (1st), while on defense they have allowed just 92 ppg (8th). Boston is currently 4-5 on the year and have gone 4-1 at home.
Free Pick: Boston has played well at home this year, winning 4 of their 5 games played there, but overall this team is not playing well. Boston was outscored 17-0 on second-chance points in the loss to the Mavericks, which occurred after Rivers criticized the team’s lack of toughness shortly before game time. The Bulls are rolling right along and they are a very deep team, which didn't miss a beat in their last game as they won without last years MVP Derick Rose. Tonight they should have Rose back and he has averaged 28.6 points over his past five games against Boston and scored 30 or more in each of the final two meetings last season as the Bulls won both, while oakim Noah has double-doubles in his last four visits to Boston. CHICAGO is 25-14 ATS after covering 3 of their last 4 against the spread over the last 2 seasons, while BOSTON is 2-13 ATS in home games after 2 straight games - attempting 10+ less shots than opponent since 1996. Boston just doesn't have the IT factor this year and Chicago will take advantage as they continue to roll.
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