Boston squandered chances against the Nets down the stretch of regulation and in overtime and was out-rebounded 58-41. A 22-for-51 effort from beyond the arc — highlighted by six 3-pointers from Payton Pritchard and five from Sam Hauser — proved to be the difference.
Pritchard paced the Celtics with 32 points while Jaylen Brown (27) and Hauser (19) followed to lead six players in double figures.
Here’s the preview:
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Where: United Center, Chicago
TV, radio: NBCSB, WROR-FM 105.7
Line: Chicago -1. O/U: 230.0.
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CELTICS
Season record: 28-16. vs. spread: 25-19. Over/under: 19-25
Last 10 games: 6-4. vs. spread: 5-5. Over/under: 3-7
BULLS
Season record: 22-22. vs. spread: 21-21, 2 pushes. Over/under: 20-24
Last 10 games: 5-5. vs. spread: 5-5. Over/under: 4-6
TEAM STATISTICS
Points per game: Boston 117.1, Chicago 118.0
Points allowed per game: Boston 110.2, Chicago 119.9
Field goal percentage: Boston .471, Chicago .476
Opponent field goal percentage: Boston .446, Chicago .473
3-point percentage: Boston .370, Chicago .366
Opponent 3-point percentage: Boston .362, Chicago .368
Stat of the day: Brown, the team’s top scorer at 29.8 points per game, has finished with at least 25 points in eight straight games and 10 of 11 contests in January. The only outlier? A 14-point showing in a Jan. 5 home win against the Bulls.
Notes: Chicago enters on a three-game winning streak and is coming off Thursday’s 120-115 victory at Minnesota. It was a win that guard Josh Giddey said “gives us momentum moving forward.” … Giddey put up 21 off the bench in his first action since sustaining a hamstring injury in a home loss to Minnesota on Dec. 29. … Chicago went 6-5 in Giddey’s absence and is aiming to climb over .500 for the first time since Nov. 24. The Bulls will look to do so without Tre Jones, who notched a pair of points-assists double-doubles in the past three games but will be re-evaluated in two weeks with a left hamstring strain. … Boston can secure the season series with a victory. The Celtics won the previous meeting 115-101 behind a 27-point effort from Anfernee Simons. Nikola Vucevic has grabbed at least 10 boards in five straight games against the Celtics. … Boston has won eight of the past 10 in the series, including three straight overall and four in a row at the United Center in Chicago.
Cam Kerry can be reached at [email protected].
