Chicago Bulls (23-33, 10th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (31-26, fourth in the Eastern Conference)
Boston; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Boston hosts the Chicago Bulls after Jayson Tatum scored 44 points in the Celtics' 119-114 win against the Warriors.
The Celtics are 18-14 in conference matchups. Boston is seventh in the Eastern Conference scoring 112.7 points while shooting 47% from the field.
The Bulls are 13-13 in Eastern Conference play. Chicago ranks seventh in the league with 26.7 assists per game led by Zach LaVine averaging 5.1.
The teams play for the second time this season. The Celtics won the last meeting 119-103 on Jan. 25. Jaylen Brown scored 26 points to help lead Boston to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Marcus Smart leads the Celtics with 5.6 assists and scores 13.5 points per game. Tatum is shooting 50.6% and averaging 28.9 points over the last 10 games for Boston.
Nikola Vucevic leads the Bulls averaging 22.8 points and is adding 9.9 rebounds. Thaddeus Young is averaging 11.9 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 47.4% over the last 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 8-2, averaging 114.5 points, 45.1 rebounds, 25.8 assists, 7.3 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.1 points on 45.0% shooting.
Bulls: 4-6, averaging 109.8 points, 42.7 rebounds, 28.3 assists, 6.3 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.9 points on 48.0% shooting.
INJURIES: Celtics: Evan Fournier: out (health and safety protocols), Jaylen Brown: out (illness), Robert Williams III: out (knee).
Bulls: Zach LaVine: out (health and safety protocols).
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