Final: Bulls 117, Celtics 108 - Celtics beaten at their own game

BOSTON CELTICS (21-5) vs. CHICAGO BULLS (12-15)

TD Garden, 7:30 p.m. - NBCS Boston

Line: Boston -14.5

INJURIES

Boston: Sam Hauser (OUT, back), Xavier Tillman (OUT, illness)

Chicago: Josh Giddy (OUY, ankle), Dalen Terry (OUT, knee)

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Establishing Kristaps Porzingis: He faced the Bulls in his second game of the season and played fairly well. Getting the ball to Porzingis early will help spread the floor and stretch the Bulls defense. The Celtics should live at the rim with Porzingis drawing Nikola Vucevic away from the paint. 

2. Defending the 3: The Celtics can’t let Vucevic have a hot stretch like they did last time. The ball has to find a lesser shooter more often than not. If Ayo Dosunmu torches you from 3, so be it. Boston has to be aware of who has the ball and who’s open and react accordingly. 

3. Jaylen Brown: The most important thing is that his family is okay after an attempted break-in at his house. Basketball-wise, I have to wonder how much of a distraction it will be. It’s not easy to focus on something like a basketball game when it feels as trivial as it does in this situation, but he’s here and playing, so he has to find a way to focus.

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.