Some things are bigger than sports, and the Boston Celtics experienced that first-hand in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series with the Chicago Bulls. A day after the sudden death of his sister, Isaiah Thomas bravely carried his team with a team-high 33 points but it wasn’t enough as the Celtics fell 106-102. For Game 2, which takes place in Beantown tonight, sportsbooks opened the Bulls as 7-point road underdogs with a total of 205.5.
- The Bulls are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games.
- The Celtics are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games.
- The Bulls are 1-4 SU and ATS in their last five games on the road against the Celtics.
Thomas, who finished third in the NBA in scoring at 28.9 points per game, will play in tonight’s contest before flying home to Seattle for his sister’s funeral. He averaged 24.8 points while shooting 53.8 percent against the Bulls in the regular season – his highest percentage against any Eastern Conference opponent.
As the eighth seed, Chicago is playing with house money now after besting the top-seeded Celtics in the series opener. All eyes will be on former Boston point guard Rajon Rondo, who averaged 12.5 points, 8.8 assists and 8.5 rebounds over the final six games of the season after being re-inserted into the starting lineup by head coach Fred Hoiberg.
The Bulls were already able to win and cover the spread in enemy territory, but that’s something that doesn’t happen very often when these squads collide. Visiting teams are a measly 1-7 SU and ATS in the last eight meetings between the Celts and Bulls.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The visiting Chicago Bulls betting line opened this morning as 7-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark (including Sportsbook), while the total was hovering around 206.5 at Sportsbook and other betting odds shops.
Odds Shark computer prediction formulas pick a 107-103 win for the Bulls on Tuesday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NBA matchups here.
Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Boston Celtics bring a 53-30 record (41-41-1 ATS) to the battle against the 42-41 Chicago Bulls, who are 43-40 ATS. Fans OVER/UNDER betting have seen Boston Celtics go 39-40-4 so far and the Chicago Bulls go 35-48. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Boston vs Chicago injuries news.
The Boston Celtics sit at No. 11 in the current NBA Power Rankings here at Odds Shark, while the Chicago Bulls are at No. 9 on that betting chart.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Chicago Bulls rank No. 3 in the league with 46.3 per game. That compares with Boston's No. 27 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Boston is the NBA's No. 3-ranked team at 12.04 per game, while the Chicago Bulls rate No. 28 with 7.6 per contest.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Bulls got 30 points from Jimmy Butler as Chicago ran past Boston 106-102 on Sunday at TD Garden.
- Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
- Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games
- Chicago is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
- Boston is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games
- Boston is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
- Boston is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
- Boston is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Chicago home to Boston, Friday, April 21st
