Boston Celtics Tip Off: It’s back to the basics vs Chicago Bulls
The Boston Celtics (7-6) return home Wednesday night to take on Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls (4-10) at TD Garden.
The Boston Celtics return home to TD Garden at just the right time. Following a very disappointing 1-4 road trip, Brad Stevens and the boys are looking for some home cooking to get back on track and back to their winning ways.
With a 7-6 record entering Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls, the Celtics went back to the basics following the road trip just to reset before entering a three-game homestand.
While part of the team’s struggles was on the offensive end, Stevens has stressed that the team needs to play with a sense of urgency and not just play their best basketball when they are 20 points behind. With a few days off between games, the Celtics coach used the practice time as a “back-to-the-basics” day.
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"“That’s always a good thing to do,” Stevens said, via NBA.com. “We’ve got three games in four nights starting tomorrow, so I think that we’ll get the cobwebs of the long trip out, we’ll get some work in, and we’ll get ready to go.”"
One thing they want to do is develop a consistent chemistry with their starting five. While one of the challenges is working Gordon Hayward back into the flow of the game, the other four players have to find their niche as well.
Both Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart have been outspoken about the team’s lack of urgency. These three games, starting with the Chicago Bulls is time for the entire team to respond and simply take care of business.
How to watch Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics
Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
When: Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018 7:30 PM ET
TV: NBCSB
Streaming: FuboTV
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub
Starting lineup
G – Kyrie Irving
G – Jaylen Brown
C- Al Horford
F- Gordon Hayward
F- Jayson Tatum
Key Matchup
Kyrie Irving vs. Zach LaVine
The Boston Celtics have had some issues against playmaking guards over the past few games. If they hope to correct that issue, it starts tonight with Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine.
LaVine enters the game averaging 27.1 points per game. The Celtics cannot allow him to get off and scoring in this game. A way to limit his scoring is to make him work on the defensive end. This is where Kyrie Irving will have to be on his game. Averaging 21.0 points per game himself, Irving has to score in this game while the overall team defensive intensity has to show up from the start.
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Prediction
Returning home and playing a team like the Chicago Bulls will be exactly what the Boston Celtics need to get back on track. Boston Gordon Hayward and Al Horford will have good games in this one as the Celtics will wipe out the Bulls despite a good offensive performance out of second-year man Lauri Markkanen.