Preview: Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics: Player props, injury report and prediction | NBA

A heavily rebuilt Boston Celtics side welcome Chicago Bulls back to TD Garden on Friday for an NBA Cup Group C meeting, four days after thrashing them 134-99 on the same floor in a regular fixture.

Boston have reshaped their roster around Paul George since trading Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia in the summer, and the early signs read positively at 3-1, while Chicago arrive on a four-game losing streak having slipped to 1-4.

The deal brought Boston two future first-round picks alongside George, with team president Brad Stevens admitting the decision followed days of internal deliberation before it was made.

Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics: what's the form like for both sides?

Form Guide

Chicago Bulls

1-4 · 12th East

Last 5 (2026-27 regular season)

L W L L L

114.0 PPG

130.2 Opp PPG

105.8 Off. rating

121.7 Def. rating

Boston Celtics

3-1 · 4th East

Last 4 (2026-27 regular season to date)

L W W W

119.8 PPG

111.8 Opp PPG

117.1 Off. rating

108.5 Def. rating

Chicago's week has gone from bad to worse since an opening-night loss at Toronto by 43 points, a one-off win at Milwaukee aside.

A home defeat to Washington, the 35-point hammering in Boston and a 133-127 loss to New York on Wednesday have put the Bulls on a four-game skid heading back to TD Garden.

Nic Claxton's hamstring injury has forced Jalen Smith into the middle, and Chicago's turnover count, 18 a game, has been a running theme behind the defeats.

Boston's picture is far brighter, with three straight wins since an opening loss at Detroit, and Jayson Tatum has taken on a heavier shot-creating load with Jaylen Brown gone.

George has settled quickly alongside him, following a 38-point debut with a 17-point, seven-rebound display against Detroit in his second outing.

Boston have also leaned heavily into three-point volume under Joe Mazzulla, averaging more than 40 attempts from deep in every game so far this season.

Both sides also continue through a congested stretch of the NBA schedule, with Chicago playing their fifth game in 13 days and Boston their fifth in eight, including one back-to-back.

Every row in that table currently points the same way, and the gap is largest on defence, where Chicago's rating trails Boston's by the widest margin of any category measured.

A separate opponent shooting chart backs that up, with Chicago ranked 27th in the NBA in opponent field-goal percentage allowed at 52.7% against Boston's seventh-best mark of 47.5%.

Chicago's pace, the fastest in the league at 107.4 possessions a game against Boston's more measured 100.0, is their best route to staying competitive, since an up-tempo start could force mistakes before Boston settle into their offensive rhythm.

Under the NBA's current conference format, Boston currently sit fourth in the East and Chicago 12th, a gap the past week's results have only widened.

Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics team news and rotations

Claxton has not played since the Oct 26 meeting and has no firm return date, which has pushed Jalen Smith into the starting five at centre for the last two games.

Smith responded with 17 points and 11 rebounds against New York on Wednesday, and he will again be tasked with controlling the glass against a bigger Boston front line.

Patrick Williams and Tobe Awaka both carry game-time decisions heading into Friday, having already missed Wednesday's loss to the Knicks.

Boston's only absentee is Devin Carter, sidelined by illness since mid-October, leaving the rest of coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation close to full strength, including Mitchell Robinson, who was brought in over the summer to add rebounding and rim protection alongside Tatum and George.

Bulls vs. Celtics: the matchups that could decide it

Chicago's season so far has leaned heavily on its rookie frontcourt pairing, and Caleb Wilson in particular will need another big night to keep the Bulls competitive against Boston's more seasoned scorers.

At the other end, the battle in the paint between Jalen Smith and Mitchell Robinson could decide which side wins the rebounding and interior-efficiency numbers that have separated these two teams so clearly all season.

Wilson's 30-point, 14-rebound outing against Washington on Oct 24 remains the standout individual performance of Chicago's season so far, and a repeat would go a long way toward keeping Friday's scoreline respectable.

Key Matchups

Rookie riser vs. the engine

Caleb Wilson

CHI

VS

Jayson Tatum

BOS

20.8 PPG

7.0 RPG

8.0 APG

28.0 PPG

Wilson, the number four pick, is averaging 20.8 points and 7.0 rebounds across Chicago's five games and has carried the scoring load with Claxton sidelined, while Tatum has stepped up as Boston's primary shot-creator since the Brown trade and leads the Celtics in both scoring and assists.

Paint battle

Jalen Smith

CHI

VS

Mitchell Robinson

BOS

13.4 PPG

8.2 RPG

76.9% FG%

5.5 PPG

Chicago rank 27th in the league in opponent field-goal percentage allowed while Boston sit seventh, so whichever centre controls the restricted area is likely to tilt a string of possessions at both ends.

Player props to watch for Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics

Player Props to Watch

Caleb WilsonCHI

PointsOver 18.5

20.8 Season PPG

34.8 Minutes

5/5 GP played

Wilson's minutes have climbed to 34 and 38 across his last two outings, and he has cleared this mark in four of Chicago's five games so far.

Jayson TatumBOS

AssistsOver 7.5

8.0 Season APG

36.3 Minutes

4/4 GP played

Tatum has taken on Boston's primary playmaking since the Brown trade, averaging 8.0 assists across his four games this season, and Chicago's leaky defence should offer plenty of open outlets.

Norman PowellCHI

PointsOver 19.5

21.6 Season PPG

29.6 Minutes

5/5 GP played

Powell dropped 30 points on Wednesday and remains Chicago's most reliable scoring option with Claxton out, even against a tougher Boston defence.

Bulls vs. Celtics head-to-head record

Boston's 35-point win on Monday is the only previous meeting between these two sides this season, and it remains their heaviest margin of victory so far in 2026-27.

Friday's return fixture comes just four days later at the same arena, with Chicago now the designated road team for scheduling purposes, and the result also counts toward NBA Cup Group C qualification alongside Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington.

Boston have failed to escape the group stage in each of the last two tournaments, giving this early-season rematch extra weight beyond the standings.

Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics prediction and best bets

Chicago's pace and Caleb Wilson's form give them a route to staying in touch early, but Boston's defence and Claxton's continued absence from the Chicago lineup point firmly toward a second comfortable win in five days.

Expect Tatum and George to control the game from the perimeter while Mitchell Robinson cleans up the rest, pushing Boston's unbeaten home record to 4-0.