Final: Bulls 121, Celtics 107 - Streak crashes to a halt thanks to lackluster defensive effort

Game 17: Celtics (-6) at Chicago, 8:00 p.m., United Center, NBCS Boston

Injuries: 

Boston - Danilo Gallinari, Robert Williams, Chicago: Lonzo Ball (knee)

Bulls probable starters: DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic

Refs: James Capers (#19), Mitchell Ervin (#27), Evan Scott (#78)

A little something about the game: The Celtics and Bulls have split the two games they’ve played so far, with the Celtics taking the game in Boston on November 4, and the Bulls winning in Chicago in October. DeRozan was incredibly annoying in the last game, drawing fouls on seemingly every possession to keep the Bulls close. In the loss, Boston was plagued by giving up offensive rebounds and outlier 3-point shooting performances. The Bulls are struggling a lot, though, having lost four in a row and six of their last seven. 

How Boston wins: Don’t let LaVine get going. He was benched in the fourth quarter of Chicago’s loss to the Orlando Magic. The Bulls have been getting big performances from DeRozan, but it’s not enough to lead Chicago to wins, so the key really is to let DeRozan punch himself out and keep the supporting cast from having a killer game. 

How Chicago wins: They know Boston’s weakness so they are undoubtedly going to try to crash the boards and try to pile up some cheap points. DeRozan drawing a million fouls will help get the Bulls some cheap penalty free throws as well. That would be a great way for Chicago to get some of their players in the kind of rhythm they need in order to put up another outlier performance.

Things I’m looking for:

- Rebounding: The Celtics need to emphasize rebounding and running off misses. If the Bulls are going to crash the boards, Boston has to run. The Celtics are eighth in the NBA in points per play off live rebounds, so make the Bulls pay for trying to sneak in for offensive rebounds. 

- Marcus Smart’s return: He’s back from injury, but is he 100%? 

- Malcolm Brogdon bounce-back: He struggled in the last game, probably due to some level of rust. Can he shake that off? 

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.