(Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
Final: Celtics 129, Bulls 112 - Team effort leads to easy win
BOSTON CELTICS at CHICAGO BULLS
8:00 p.m., NBCS Boston
Line: Boston -8.5
INJURIES
Boston: None
Chicago: Zach LaVine (OUT, foot), Patrick Williams (OUT, foot), Torrey Craig (OUT, knee), Lonzo Ball (OUT, knee)
LAST TIME
A back-and-forth start to the game gave way to an 11-point lead thanks to Boston going 8-16 from 3 and Chicago going 4-11. The Celtics hit almost everything in the second quarter, going 15-19 from the field and 5-8 from 3 to add eight to their lead. They cooled off a little in the third but Chicago couldn't hit a thing and the lead ballooned to 32. It got up to 35 as the Celtics kept their regulars in late into the fourth quarter of a decided game due to the In-Season Tournament point differential rules, and they won by 27.
THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR
1. Focus: First game back after the break, against a bad team, with a huge lead in the East … needless to say I’m very curious to see if they can bring the right focus to this game. If they do start slow, can they get to where they need to be mentally to execute properly?
2. Experimentation: I’m looking for clues to see where the Celtics might be trying things for the playoffs. Anything that looks off … different combinations, different roles, different play calls. Any of that could be part of a larger plan to prepare for the playoffs.
3. The new guys: Xavier Tillman and Jaden Springer are both available. I expect Tillman to be thrown in there to see if he can contribute. Springer might be a longer-term play, but either way one or both of these guys should get some real minutes over the next few weeks to figure out where they stand in the rotation.
Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.