Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics Prediction, 1/5/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics

Date: Monday, January 5, 2026

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: NBC Sports Boston

The Chicago Bulls (16-17) are hitting the road to TD Garden on Monday where they will try to defeat the Boston Celtics (20-12).

The Bulls faced the Pelicans and went home with a win by a final score of 134-118 in their last game. Chicago finished having earned a 51.1% FG percentage (47 out of 92) and converted 15 out of their 43 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Bulls converted 25 of their 34 attempts for a percentage of 73.5%. In reference to rebounding, they earned 49 with 8 of them being offensive. They also dished out 33 dimes for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 5 steals. Regarding the defense, Chicago let their opponent shoot 42.9% from the field on 42 out of 98 shooting. New Orleans distributed 25 assists and had 4 steals for the matchup. On top of that, New Orleans collected 46 rebounds (12 offensive, 34 defensive) and added 7 blocked shots. New Orleans finished shooting 81.5% at the free throw line by burying 22 of their 27 shots. They made 12 of 38 tries from 3-point land. In regard to fouls, the Bulls ended up with 18 while the Pelicans had 24 fouls.

Isaac Okoro is a guy who played a role in the game. Okoro finished the contest at 80.0% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists. He played for 36 mins and also grabbed 5 boards. He ended up with 24 points on 8 out of 10 shooting.

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Chicago will take the court with a mark of 16-17 for the year. They have an average of 118.8 points per outing (12th in the NBA) while hitting 47.4% from the field. The Bulls are shooting 36.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (464 of 1,278) and 78.1% from the charity stripe. As a team, Chicago is pulling down 45.7 boards per game and has racked up 971 assists this season, which is 3rd in basketball in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 14.9 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 19.5 personal fouls per game.

Defensively, the Bulls are forcing their opponents into 12.9 turnovers every game and they draw 19.7 fouls. They are ranked 23rd in the NBA in giving up assists with 917 conceded so far this year. The Bulls defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 47.6% (1,476 of 3,099) and they surrender 45.5 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are surrendering 36.4% on shots from distance and they are 26th in the NBA in PPG allowed (122.3).

When they last stepped on the court, the Celtics walked away with a victory by a final of 129-119 against the Jazz. The Celtics pulled down 33 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 44 in this contest. They also turned the ball over 8 times, while getting 8 steals in this contest. The Jazz had 17 fouls for this game which took the Celtics to the free throw line for a total of 23 tries. They were able to knock down 20 of them for a rate of 87.0%. When discussing shots from downtown, Boston made 13 of their 44 attempts (29.5%). When the game finished, the Celtics ended up going 48 out of 94 from the field which had them shooting 51.1%. The Celtics permitted the Jazz to knock down 41 of their 87 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 47.1% in this contest. They went 38.1% from 3-point land via 16 of 42 and finished the game at 21 out of 25 at the charity stripe (84.0%). When talking about rebounding, Boston allowed Utah to collect 40 in total (9 on the offensive side).

Derrick White pitched in for the Celtics for the contest. He converted 8 of 16 in the game for a rate of 50.0%, and totaled 7 rebounds. White totaled 27 points in his 36 mins of playing time and added 6 assists for the contest.

Boston has a win-loss record of 20-12 so far this season. The Celtics commit 21.8 personal fouls every game and they connect on 78.8% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 23.9 times per contest (28th in the league) and they are turning it over 12.2 times per contest. Boston has tallied 3,741 pts this season (116.9 per game) and they collect 43.8 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Celtics are shooting 47.3% from the floor, which ranks them 14th in the NBA.

The Celtics on the defensive end are ranked 2nd in the NBA in points given up per game with 110.8. They are forcing their opponents into 14.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.9% from the floor (3rd in the league). The Boston defense allows 37.0% on 3-pointers (453 of 1,223) and opponents are knocking down 79.3% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 25.1 assists and 42.4 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 7th and 8th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Boston

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