Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls Expert Pick – February 22, 2024

BOSTON CELTICS VS. CHICAGO BULLS EXPERT PICK – FEBRUARY 22, 2024 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Godzilla Wins. After our earlier look at the Knicks vs. Sixers, another game on tap from Thursday’s slate features the Boston Celtics (43-12 SU, 25-27-3 ATS) taking on the Chicago Bulls (26-29 SU, 29-25-1 ATS).

Here is a look at which team has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

When: Thursday, February 22, 2024

Time: 8:00 PM ET

Where: United Center

Location: Chicago, IL

TV: NBCS-CHI, NBCS-BOS

Related: Knicks vs. Sixers Expert Pick

Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls — Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Celtics Extend Their Winning Streak To Seven Games?

 Boston Celtics Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 120.7 PPG – 5^TH
• Offensive Efficiency: 121.7 points per 100 possessions – 1^ST
• Scoring Defense: 110.6 PPG – 5^TH                
• Defensive Efficiency: 111.5 points per 100 possessions – 3^RD

The Boston Celtics have the best record in the league at 43-12. They have compiled eight wins in their last 10 decisions, and they come into this matchup riding a six-game winning streak. Simply put, the Celtics are the toast of the NBA.

The Celtics finished the first half of the season with a home-and-home set against the Brooklyn Nets before the All-Star break. On Feb. 13, they beat the Nets by a score of 118-110. Just 24 hours later, they handily defeated Brooklyn to the tune of 136-86.

Four of the Celtics’ starting five reached double figures, but neither of those players led the team in scoring. That honor went to Payton Pritchard who finished with 28 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Derrick White added 27 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Jayson Tatum contributed 20 points, nine assists, and seven boards.

The Celtics led 68-32 at halftime and never looked back. From an offensive standpoint, Boston shot 57.1 percent from the field and made 22 of its 45 attempts from the 3-point line.

At the other end of the court, the Celtics limited the Nets to 38.3 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from beyond the arc. In other words, it is going to be a rough day at the office for the Bulls in this one.

Can The Bulls Stampede The Celtics?

 Chicago Bulls Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 111.8 PPG – 25^TH
• Offensive Efficiency: 114.4 points per 100 possessions – 20^TH    
• Scoring Defense: 112.9 PPG – 11^TH
• Defensive Efficiency: 115.6 points per 100 possessions – 16^TH

Meanwhile, the Bulls are three games below .500 (26-29) and find themselves in the No. 9 spot in the conference playoff race. Chicago has posted five wins in its last 10 outings.

This includes a 108-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 14. Coby White – who is averaging a career-best 19.6 PPG this season — spearheaded Chicago’s offense with 32 points along with seven rebounds, and four assists. He shot 11-for-17 from the floor and 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.

DeMar DeRozan poured in 24 points and handed out six assists, while Ayo Dosunmu chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds. The Bulls led by as many as 17 points in the first half (46-29) but faltered down the stretch, paving the way for their second loss in their last three games.

“The last two months have been kind of crazy because of injuries, but we pushed through it,” DeRozan said after the game. “When we come back, we need to put everything and more into the last 27 games.”

Despite their mediocre record, Chicago will make this a competitive affair. However, given the fact that the Celtics excel at both ends of the floor, they will emerge victorious and push their winning streak to seven games.

Now that we have set the table for this Eastern Conference matchup, let’s look at the betting trends for both sides.

The Spread

The Celtics opened as a consensus 7.5-point favorite. Here is a look at how both teams have fared against the spread this season.

• The Celtics are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games.
• Boston is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 matchups against Chicago.
• In their last five games against Central Division teams, the Celtics are 1-4 against the spread.
• The Bulls are 4-1 ATS in their last five outings.
• Chicago is 6-3 ATS in its last nine matchups against Eastern Conference teams.

Chicago will keep it close early before Boston pulls away in the end. With that in mind, going with the road team to cover is the best play here.

Prediction: Boston Celtics (-7.5)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 226.5 points. At the time of this writing, the line has not changed. Here is why going with the “under” is the smart choice.

• The total has gone UNDER 11 times in the Celtics’ last 16 contests.
• The UNDER is a perfect 5-0 in Boston’s last five road matchups against Chicago.
• In the Celtics’ last nine February games, the UNDER total hit six times.
• The UNDER total has prevailed eight times in Chicago’s last 12 outings.

Prediction: UNDER 226.5 points

Player Prop Bets

My key player to watch for the road team is Jayson Tatum. He currently has -115 odds of scoring more than 26.5 points and -115 odds of finishing with less than 26.5 points.

Here is a glance to see how his numbers compare to the projected points total for this matchup.

• During the season, Tatum is averaging 27.1 points per outing.
• In 24 road contests this season, he is averaging 27.3 PPG.
• Tatum has played against Eastern Conference teams 34 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 27.1 points per outing.
• In 10 matchups against Central Division opponents, Tatum averages 26.4 points per game.
• Over his last 10 outings, Tatum is averaging 27.8 points per game, while exceeding the points total for this matchup five times during that stretch.

Given the above trends, going with the “over” for Tatum is the smart choice here.

Prediction: Jayson Tatum OVER 26.5 points

Fresh off a 32-point effort in his previous outing, my key player to watch for the home team is Coby White. He currently has -105 odds of scoring more than 21.5 points and -125 odds of finishing with less than 21.5 points.

Let us look closer to see how his numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup.

• On the season, White is averaging 19.6 points per outing.
• In 27 home contests, he is averaging 19.1 PPG.
• White has played against Eastern Conference teams 34 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 18.7 points per outing.
• In 11 matchups against Atlantic Division opponents, White is averaging 19.2 points per game.
• Over his last 10 outings, White has averaged 17.7 points per contest, exceeding the points total for this matchup five times during that stretch.

Prediction: Coby White UNDER 21.5 points