The Boston Celtics (1-0) visit the Chicago Bulls (0-0) at the United Center in Chicago on Oct. 27, Thursday as the home team opens their 2016-2017 NBA Season campaign.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Boston will look to start the new season with a second straight win after they defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 122-117, on Wednesday at the TD Garden, via ESPN.
Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 25 points, six rebounds, nine assists, and two steals while Jae Crowder had 21 points and five rebounds. New acquisition Al Horford contributed 11 points, five boards, six assists, and a game-high four blocked shots.
Head coach Brad Stevens' squad led by 16 points at the start of the fourth quarter and the lead came as high as 23 points, but the Nets were able to trim it to just eight points with two minutes remaining in the game.
Brooklyn's comeback attempt forced Stevens to send in his already resting starters late in the match to seal the win.
"It's a reminder of how quickly things can turn in this league," said Stevens during the post-match interview. "I probably will be less likely to leave them in that long if we're in a similar scenario. Hopefully, we learn from it, and we're not."
As the coach said, the Celtics will less likely repeat the same mistake against the Bulls during their first back-to-back this season.
Meanwhile, this game is the season-opener for the new-look Bulls. Gone are Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, two players who have been the face of the franchise for many years. Pau Gasol has also moved out to San Antonio.
The team is now featuring a new Big Three of Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, and Jimmy Butler with veteran big men Robin Lopez and Taj Gibson completing head coach Fred Hoiberg's starting unit.
Chicago will be put to a test right on their first game this season as they are up against a very cohesive Boston team.
NBA.com indicated that Hoiberg's roster "appears ill-suited to his preferred pace-and-space style of play" so it would be interesting to watch how the coach could make his veteran superstars buy into his system.
Prediction
Big-names does not necessarily translate into victories. It will take time for Wade and Rondo to adjust to Hoiberg's system and the Celtics are ready to take advantage of it. A double-digit Boston victory is predicted.
