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• Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics
• Saturday, March 23 at 7 p.m. ET
• United Center in Chicago, Illinois
Not long ago, this would have been considered a huge rivalry game, as the old showdowns between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls used to be electric. We of course remember the days of Larry Bird going up against Michael Jordan – those are two of the best players of their generation. Now, though, things are a bit different, but that doesn’t mean there’s no intrigue there. And come this weekend, the Bulls are hoping to post an upset over the Celtics in primetime. Will they get the job done?
It’s a lot easier said than done, as Boston holds the best record in the NBA and the Bulls are one game under .500 at 34-35. This is not what anyone expected for Chicago in 2023-24, as the hope was that this team would be able to get back to a high level of competition. Unfortunately for the city and the local supporters, this hasn’t been the case and it’s totally up in the air if the Bulls will be able to sneak into the playoffs.
| Bulls vs. Celtics odds |  |  |  |
| Celtics to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Bulls to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over 220 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 220 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
On the other side of things, the Celtics indeed have the best record in the league and they’ve seen their NBA Finals betting odds skyrocket in recent months. Boston is led by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and others. Whenever Boston takes the court, people assume that they’re going to come away with a victory. The same will be the case on Saturday night, even though this game will be played in Chicago at the United Center.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Celtics hold -110 NBA betting odds – they’re the favorites despite being the visiting side. The Bulls hold +125 NBA betting odds. This game could end up being a lot closer than folks think, but in the end, we don’t think that Chicago will be able to contain Boston’s powerful offense. We’re going with the Celtics as our pick.
Closed it out at the stripe for our seventh straight win ✅ pic.twitter.com/ttMxYhctFz
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 21, 2024
The over should hit between the Bulls and Celtics
While we do think Boston will post a victory, there’s no doubt in our minds that the over should hit between the Bulls and Celtics. Although Boston has a much better record, there’s no denying that both of these teams have plenty of star power on their roster. For Chicago, they’re led in scoring by DeMar DeRozan, who is averaging 23.5 points per game. Not only that, though, but both Coby white and Zach Lavine are scoring nearly 20 points per outing. That will be key vs. Boston.
As we mentioned above, the Celtics are powered by Tatum and Brown, one of the best duos in the league. Tatum is leading the way with his 27.1 points per game, while Brown is pouring in more than 23 points a night. That’s about 50 points per game from Tatum and Brown, which is wild to even think about. They will be ready to give the Chicago defense a ton of problems when they face off in this one. We don’t think the Bulls are going to have much luck in slowing them down.
Jayson Tatum drops 31 as the @celtics win their 7th straight game and clinch the Atlantic Division 👏👏
31 PTS | 4 3PM | 8 REB | 3 STL | 2 BLK
Boston's won 18 of their last 20 games 🍀📈 pic.twitter.com/M65lonXudN
— NBA (@NBA) March 21, 2024
According to the oddsmakers, the over/under for this game has been set at 220 points, with -110 NBA betting odds for both. There’s just no way we see the under being covered here, especially with Brown and Tatum looking to make a road statement. It will be on DeRozan, White and Levine to keep things close vs. Boston, but something tells us they’ll be ready to make some big-time shots whenever the ball is in their hands. With all of that said, we’re going with the over for this exciting matchup.
Celtics remain the favorites to win the NBA Finals
With the way they’ve been playing, it’s not a surprise at all that the Celtics remain the favorites to win the NBA Finals this season. Boston has been on a total tear and their strong play has people all over Massachusetts thinking that this will be the year where they can once again get over the hump.
The hope was that the Celtics would win it all last season, but the Denver Nuggets surprised a lot of people when they were able to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Denver has a great chance of doing that again this season, as Nikola Jokic is the favorite to win NBA MVP. Denver is riding high and they think they’ll be able to repeat as champs.
Obviously, the Celtics, and others, want to do everything possible to prevent that from happening. From our chair, we think an NBA Finals between Denver and Boston could end up going down. However, while some people think the Nuggets will find a way to repeat, we actually think Boston will be able to win the title. It’s not going to be a simple task for them, but with the way Brown and Tatum are playing, it’s going to be hard for anyone to top Boston once the postseason gets here.
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