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Chicago Bulls (24-17) at Boston Celtics (22-21)
Friday, January 22, 2016
7:30 PM ET
Game #44, Road Game #22
TV: CSNNE, WPWR.NBA-LP753(DTV)/752(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN 1000AM WRTO
TD Garden
Probable Starters 
PG:Isaiah Thomas ...............................................SG Avery Bradley
C: Jared Sullinger
SF: Jae Crowder ................................. ............PF Amir Johnson
Celtics ReservesEvan Turner
Jonas Jerebko
Terry Rozier
James Young
Kelly Olynyk
Jordan Mickey
Tyler Zeller
Marcus Smart
David Lee
RJ Hunter
InjuriesNone
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Probable Starters 
PG: Derrick Rose ............................................. SG: Jimmy Butler
C: Paul Gasol
SF: Tony Snell ............................................. PF: Taj Gibson
Bulls ReservesDoug McDermott
Nikola Mirotic
E'Twaun Moore
Cameron Bairstow
Aaron Brooks
Bobby Portis
Christiano Felicio
Head Coach Fred Hoiberg
Injuries Mike Dunleavy (back) out
Kirk Hinrich (quad) out
Joakim Noah (shoulder) out
Game Notes The Celtics return home from their 1-2 road trip to host the Chicago Bulls. This is the 3rd and final meeting this season between these two teams. The series is tied 1-1 with each winning on their home court. The Bulls won the series last season 2-1 and the Celtics haven't won the season series with the Bulls since the 2008-09 season. The Bulls are 14-11 vs the Celtics since the 08-09 season.
Both teams are playing on the front end of a back to back set. The Celtics have a home/road set and will visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. The Celtics are 1-3 in the first game when it is at home and 4-6 overall in the first game of back to back sets. The Bulls have a road/road set and will visit the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls are 2-1 in the first game when it is on the road and 3-3 overall in the first game of back to back sets.
The Celtics are 11-10 at home while the Bulls are 8-9 on the road. The Celtics still have no injuries listed. The Celtics 3 rookies will probably be with the Red Claws unless Mickey's ankle keeps him on the injured list for both teams. The Bulls will be without Mike Dunleavy (back), Joakim Noah (shoulder), and Kirk Hinrich (quad), who are all listed as out for this game.
Key Matchups vs
Avery Bradley vs Jimmy Butler
Butler has surpassed Rose as the star of this team. He is averaging 20-2.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.76 steals. Butler is dangerous as both a scorer and a distributor. In Chicago's loss in Boston, he scored 36 points but had no assists. In their win in Chicago, he scored 19 points but had 10 assists. Avery's defense will be put to the test in this game.
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Pau Gasol
Gasol is having a good season and has had some big games. He is averaging 16.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.23 blocks. Gasol has averaged 19.4 points and 15 boards in his last 5 games vs the Celtics. He had 17 points and 18 boards in the Bulls win over the Celtics in the beginning of January. Sully needs to play tough defense and he also needs to keep him off the boards.
Honorable Mention Isaiah Thomas vs Derrick Rose
Rose isn't exactly the player he was before the knee injuries interrupted his career, but he is still a very good player and very dangerous if you don't defend him well. He is also getting better as the season goes on. He is averaging 15.4 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Keys to the Game Defense - The Celtics and Bulls both began the season as tough defensive teams. The Celtics have lost 8 of their last 12 games while looking nothing like the tough defensive club they were in the season's first few months. Before December 30th, the Celtics allowed only 97.4 points per 100 possessions. In January, they have allowed 104.3 per 100. The Bulls have also been slipping on defense recently. The Celtics are 19-3 when holding opponents under 100 while the Bulls are 18-2 when keeping teams under 100. It's obvious that defense wins games.
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball. Rebounding will be tough against Chicago's big front line, but much of rebounding is effort and desire and so the Celtics must put out the extra effort on the boards to give themselves extra possessions as well as to limit the Bulls fast break opportunities and second chance points. The Bulls are a good rebounding team, pulling down 48.8 per game while the Celtics are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game.
Run and Move the Ball - The Celtics play best when they run on every possession and run back on defense to get set before the Bulls can get into their offense. They also need to move the ball because when the ball sticks too much with one player then the offense gets stagnant. The Celtics need to move the ball to find the best shot. No hero ball.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be aggressive on both ends of the court. They have to be the more aggressive team going for loose balls, on defense, on the boards, and in going to the hoop. In their wins, the Celtics have been aggressive but in their losses they mostly seem sluggish. They have to play like they want it more.
X-Factors
Home Game - The Celtics are back at home after a 3 game road trip. At one time, the Celtics were playing better on the road than at home. They need to come in with the mindset that they are going to protect home court and let the crowd give them a boost.
Officiating - Officiating can always be an x-factor. At times they call the game even and let them play. Other times they call the game one sided or call every little touch foul and that takes all of the flow out of the game. Every crew has it's own identity and that can change the flow and outcome of the game.
Topic: Bulls (24-17) at Celtics (22-21) Game #44 1/22/16 (Read 23018 times)