Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics 1/15/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics Matchup Preview (1/15/22)

The Chicago Bulls will travel to Boston for the second night of a back-to-back to battle with the inconsistent Celtics in TD Garden. The Bulls have cooled off after their red hot December streak when they won nine straight games. However, in their past four games, they have gone 1-3 with a home loss to the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors and a road loss to the Dallas Mavericks. To be fair, the Mavs were riding a hot streak at the time while the Nets were fully healthy for the first time all season. The Golden State game was flat-out bad and there’s no excusing it. Chicago will want to get back on track against a Celtics team that has underachieved all season, despite having two of the best players in the NBA on their team. The Boston Celtics were winners of three straight before dropping a road game to the surging Philadelphia 76ers. I would not put too much equity into the C’s recent wins, though, as the Pacers are one of the coldest teams in the NBA and the Knicks are not much better. Still, this should be a close game, given that the Celtics are at home and have plenty of talent to keep up with the Bulls. Check out below for more specific betting advice regarding this game, including my pick for who will cover the spread!

Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics Betting Odds

The Celtics opened as two-point home favorites against the Chicago Bulls for this Saturday night matchup. If LaVine cannot go, the Celtics should take care of business at home and win. The Bulls’ defense has concerned me in the past two games; even though they played against two of the best teams in the NBA, there is no reason to be allowing 138 points to the Nets and Warriors, especially on their home floor. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum should exploit this defense because, if we are honest, DeRozan is not that great of a perimeter defender, and Lonzo Ball will likely be guarding Payton Pritchard. I will be on the Celtics against the spread at -2, up to -4 if it widens at all. The faith I have in Chicago, at the moment, is dwindling by the day.

TV Schedule

Date: 1/15/22
Time: 8:30 PM ET
Arena: TD Garden – Boston, MA
Channel: NBA TV

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Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup

PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: Ayo Dosunmu
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: Alfonzo McKinnie
C: Nikola Vucevic

Chicago Bulls Analysis

When I wrote this article, Zach LaVine headed to the locker room after a first-quarter injury against the Golden State Warriors. LaVine was able to walk there under his power; however, this is not the news you would like to receive if you are a Chicago Bulls fan, especially since they were starting to put everything together. Unfortunately, after LaVine left the game, things began to unravel for the second home game in a row, this time against the Golden State Warriors. Chicago was down by 31 points at halftime and ended up losing by 42 points. If LaVine can’t go against the Celtics, this will be a problem for the Bulls. Trying to keep Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in check may be too much for this Bulls roster who would be without Alex Caruso, LaVine, and Patrick Williams. Brown and Tatum have played well together recently, while the Bulls have had two of the worst defensive efforts of the season in back-to-back games.

Boston Celtics Starting Lineup

PG: Payton-Pritchard
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams III

Boston Celtics Analysis

It has been another underwhelming season for the Boston Celtics. There is still plenty of time to right the ship, but it needs to happen sooner versus later. In the Celtics’ game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, Brown, and Tatum had 34 and 33 points, respectively, during their beat down on the road. Unfortunately, the Celtics fell on Friday night to the Philadelphia 76ers, but Joel Embiid may be playing his best basketball ever, with the Sixers’ supporting cast contributing a lot as well. This is a forgivable road loss but will need to get back on track against the battered Bulls at home.

Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics Daily Fantasy Picks

What hamstring injury? Jaylen Brown is back and better than ever after missing a good chunk of the first quarter of the 2021-22 NBA season. Brown has played in 15 games since returning from his injury for the second time, and in his past 12 games, he has put up remarkable numbers. Brown has averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists during that span on a near 47/38/81 shooting split. Coming into the league, there were many concerns about Brown’s shooting, but those have all subsided at this point. Brown’s offensive game has become an elite package that defenses will struggle with for several years to come. Despite the Celtics’ struggles, you can still count on Brown to produce for your DFS team, so grab him while he is red hot.

Since coming into the NBA, Lonzo Ball has increased his 3P% (three-point percentage) year-over-year while completely reconfiguring his jump shot. Ball finished his rookie season shooting the deep ball with merely 30% accuracy. This season, he is shooting 42.4% from behind the arc while leading his team in three-point attempts. It has been exciting watching Ball add to his game over the past several years, and he has now become an integral piece on a potential championship-contending squad. Ball has averaged 12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game this season. While his stats are not overwhelming on the offensive end, there is no denying his impact on the game. Bulls players like DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine usually get more hype and highlights, but Ball is just as crucial in many ways. If you catch Ball on a hot night, though, then a near triple-double is not out of the question.