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The Boston Celtics look to cap a three-game road trip on a positive note, as they head to Chicago to take on the Bulls.
A back-to-back in Texas two days removed from a double-overtime slugfest against the Dallas Mavericks seemed like a bad idea for the Celtics. And indeed it was, as they lost both. After playing 50 minutes against Dallas, Rajon Rondo turned the ball over an uncharacteristically high seven times on both nights of a back-to-back, failing to clear double-digit assists for the first time in quite some time in the loss to San Antonio. They failed to clear 90 points and allowed over 100 in both games. After the losses, they're just 13-12 in the standings.
The Bulls aren't the league's best offensive outfit - they only scored 71 points Monday night in Memphis - but they more than make up for it with solid defense, Tom Thibodeau's specialty, as they rank No. 2 in the league allowing only 96.5 points per 100 possessions. Thibodeau really rides Luol Deng and Joakim Noah in the absence of Derrick Rose, as that pair ranks No. 1 and No. 2 in minutes played in the league, respectively. But they've responded well to the challenge, with Deng averaging 17.5 points and Noah at 13.7 with 10.3 boards per game. They've had some rough spells throughout the year, but have won five of seven heading into Tuesday night's game.
Here's the info on Tuesday night's matchup:
Tuesday, Dec. 18
Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls
8 p.m., Comcast Sports-Net New England