Final: Celtics 124, Bulls 97 - Boston goes for point differential to keep IST hopes alive

BOSTON CELTICS vs. CHICAGO BULLS

7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Boston

Line: Boston -13.5

INJURIES

Boston: Kristaps Porzingis (OUT, calf)

Chicago: Lonzo Ball (OUT, knee), Alex Caruso (AVAILABLE, toe), Zach LaVine (AVAILABLE, foot)

NOTES:

- This is an In-Season Tournament game. Boston needs to win by at least 23, and Brooklyn needs to also win, but by at least nine fewer points than Boston. That's because Boston needs a three-way tie to win it, and they need to win the point differential tiebreaker. 

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Winning by 23: So much has been made about this. Personally, I feel like the Celtics might not even want to get back on a plane and head out on another road trip when they just came off a long trip and they have another western conference trip coming up. At the same time, Chicago is an absolute dumpster fire and Boston winning by at least 23 is on the table. 

The real question I’d love to see answered is how Boston approaches an 16-18 point lead in the final two minutes of the game or so. If they're up 20 with the clock winding down, do they just fire up the shot to try to get the points or not? I don’t think anyone is playing more minutes in an effort to win this by a lot, and when I asked Joe Mazzulla if he feels any obligation to do so because the league is pushing the tournament so hard, he said “zero.”

2. Jaylen Brown’s playmaking: Let’s continue the roll he’s on. He’s seeing the floor well and willing to give up a tougher look that he might still feel he can make to get something easier for his teammates. 

3. A strong Bulls effort: Executive Vice President Artūras Karnišovas never really talks to the Chicago media but he did today to express his disappointment with the team’s terrible start. Will that light a fire under some of these guys? Will they go further into the tank? 

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.