Preview: Boston Celtics Look to end Losing Streak

If this game was featured on Sesame Street the word of the day would be ‘inconsistency’. The Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls are two of the most inconsistent teams in the NBA. You never know how either team will play on a particular day, and as a result both teams have records that could be better. The Celtics have a 22-21 record, good enough for eighth in the East, while the Bulls come in at 24-17, fourth in the East.

The last time the Celtics and Bulls faced off was a couple of weeks ago in Chicago, where the Bulls won 101-92. That was in the midst of the Celtics’ four game losing streak, and capped of the Bulls’ six game winning streak. The Celtics now host the Bulls, once again on a two game losing streak. Chicago does not enter this game on a long winning streak this time though. The Bulls have gone 2-5 since their last meeting with the Celtics and have recently lost big man Joakim Noah to a shoulder injury.

Boston is coming off a six point loss to the Toronto Raptors. It was a hard-fought game that they weren’t able to take control of at the end. The Celtics defense was once again sub-par. They allowed the Raptors to shoot 65.2 percent in the first quarter and 55.4 percent in the game. That includes nearly every shot at the end of the game for Toronto to go in, and letting DeMar DeRozan go off for 34 points.

Chicago is fresh off a 31-point blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors. No one showed up for the Bulls a couple of days ago, besides Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. The Celtics are hoping that is the case on Friday night as well.

The Celtics’ defense as of late has been less than efficient to say the least. Boston has allowed at least 115 points in four straight games, and five of the past six games. That should not only never happen but also very surprising considering how much emphasis head coach Brad Stevens puts on defense. The Celtics right now are relying on outscoring their opponents and not focusing on getting stops.

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The last time these two teams met the Boston Celtics didn’t show up. They got blown out of the water from the opening tip and were never able to get close to a comeback. That should give the Bulls a lot of confidence and if the Celtics let them get off to a fast start, like a lot of teams have been against them as of late, then it could be the same story.

Both teams are very deep and as a result there are a lot of great match-ups to watch. One in particular is the point guard match-up between Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas. The last time these two met Rose easily dominated the smaller Thomas. He shot well from the field (9-16) and was able to get by Thomas and finish at the rim. Rose put up an impressive stat line as he helped the Bulls win: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists.

Rose is now coming off a 29 point game against one of the best defensive teams in the league, Golden State, and will be eyeing another big stat line against the smaller defender. He has played well since returning from a hamstring injury a couple of weeks ago and the Celtics need to keep an eye on him.

Thomas, on the other hand, was nowhere near that level of play. Thomas got out-played the whole game. It was a weird sight considering how poorly Rose played at the beginning of the season and how Thomas is a potential All-Star. Thomas was out of control the whole game and careless with the ball, he finished with 4 turnovers. He also did not shoot particularly well, 5-17 from the field and 0-4 from three. Thomas only put up 14 points in one of his worst outings of the season. He has bounced back nicely though, scoring at least 20 points in six of the seven games since.

Chicago’s best player however is Jimmy Butler. Jae Crowder and Butler were teammates at Marquette, and now have very similar games in the NBA. Both players are great defensive players, which always makes this matchup an interesting one. Crowder gets 1.8 steals a game while Butler is a little ahead at 2.0 steals per game, proving how tough it is to face these two on any given night.

Dec 9, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) works the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99)in the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Butler’s offensive game has taken off over the past two seasons as he is arguably the best shooting guard in the NBA. He is averaging 22.4 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game and dishes out 4.3 assists per game. He has turned himself into an all-around player and is one of the few players in the league who makes an impact every night.

Crowder and Avery Bradley did a nice job last time these two met, holding Butler to 19 points on 5-14 shooting. Crowder struggled against Butler though as he shot 6-17 from the field for 17 points.

It’s a tall task to ask Crowder to outplay one of the best players in the league, so I doubt Brad Stevens will. What he does need to do however is play tough defense on him all game and not let him get in a rhythm because Butler has the ability to win games on his own. A couple of weeks ago Butler had a 40-point half and 53-point game.

The X-Factor in tonight’s game is Amir Johnson. He has been wildly inconsistent this season, and especially as of late. Johnson had a good game in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, 12 points and six rebounds, and followed it up with a couple good games as well. Although his numbers and play recently have not been as impressive. Johnson is coming off a two point, four rebound outing against his former team and has been seemingly non-existent the past three games for the Celtics.

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The Bulls are the best rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 48.8 rebounds per game. The Celtics need Johnson to get rebounds and play tough defense. Pau Gasol has once again been putting together a good season for the Bulls, and their rookie, Bobby Portis, keeps growing every game. Johnson will have his hands full once again, but maybe this will be the game he gets out of his funk

On paper Chicago is one of the most talented teams in the NBA. They’re as deep as anyone and have the star power. However, Fred Hoiberg hasn’t been able to get this team to play to their maximum potential yet. Brad Stevens is a remarkable coach and can out-coach Hoiberg, which has happened a lot to Hoiberg this season. That will need to be done if the Celtics want to end their two-game losing streak. Being back at the Garden should help the Celtics as well.

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I expect this game to be another low-scoring game, however, the way the Celtics’ defense has played as of late it may not be. I think the Bulls are a better, but very similar, version of the Boston Celtics. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Celtics won or lost this game, it’s up for grabs. These are the types of games that playoff teams need to win if they want to move up in the standings, however. It’s a big test for the Celtics, especially considering they have gone 0-2 thus far on their 3-game playoff team stretch.