The Celtics enter Chicago as a slim 1-point road underdog, and Bash’s ATS pick is entirely about the schedule. Boston logged heavy minutes on Friday, and asking Jaylen Brown to carry the load on zero rest against a rested Bulls squad is the ultimate situational fade.
The Setup: Celtics at Bulls
Boston comes into United Center on Saturday as a 1-point road underdog against Chicago, and that’s a line that tells you everything about where these teams stand right now. The Celtics just gutted out a 130-126 double overtime win in Brooklyn on Friday night—Payton Pritchard dropped 32, Jaylen Brown went for 27-12-10, and they needed every second of 58 minutes to outlast a lottery team. Now they’re catching a Bulls squad that just won in Minnesota behind 22 from Coby White and 21 off the bench from Josh Giddey. The total sits at 229.5, and with Jayson Tatum still out indefinitely, this spread reflects a market that sees two teams trending in opposite directions meeting at a neutral valuation point.
Boston’s 28-16 record and second seed in the East looks solid on paper, but without Tatum, they’re a different team structurally. Chicago at 22-22 is fighting for play-in positioning, and their 14-9 home record carries real weight in a pick’em situation like this. The Celtics are 15-9 on the road, but that double overtime grind less than 24 hours ago changes the possession math significantly when you factor in travel and rotation depth.
Game Info & Betting Lines
Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026
Time: 8:00 ET
Location: United Center
TV: CHSN (Home), NBC Sports BO, NBA League Pass
Current Betting Lines (MyBookie.ag):
Spread: Celtics +1.0 (-110) | Bulls -1.0 (-110)
Moneyline: Celtics -105 | Bulls -116
Total: 229.5 (Over/Under -110)
Why This Line Exists
The market landed on Chicago -1 because it’s weighing two competing narratives. On one side, you’ve got a Celtics team that’s 28-16 and built to compete for a championship even without Tatum. Jaylen Brown is averaging 29.7 points per game this season, Derrick White chips in 17.6, and Pritchard has been a legitimate third scoring option at 16.8 per night. That’s a core that can win games against anyone.
But the other side of this equation is rest and rotation depth. Boston just played 58 minutes of basketball in Brooklyn, and they’re now traveling to Chicago for an 8:00 tip on the back end of a road trip. Derrick White is listed as probable after sitting Friday for maintenance, which tells you the Celtics are managing minutes carefully in this spot. Chicago, meanwhile, played Thursday in Minnesota and had an extra day to prepare. They’re at home, where they’ve been solid at 14-9, and they just got Josh Giddey back from his hamstring issue. He went for 21-6-5 in 26 minutes against the Wolves, and that probable tag suggests he’s ready for a full workload.
The total at 229.5 reflects two teams that can score but don’t play at a blistering pace. Without Tatum, Boston’s offensive efficiency takes a hit, and Chicago’s offense runs through Giddey’s playmaking and Nikola Vucevic’s post touches rather than transition opportunities. This number assumes a game that stays in the halfcourt and doesn’t turn into a track meet.
Celtics Breakdown: What You Need to Know
Boston’s identity without Tatum is built around Jaylen Brown’s scoring volume and the shooting efficiency of their supporting cast. Brown at 29.7 points per game is carrying a heavier offensive load, and Pritchard’s 16.8 per night gives them a legitimate third option who can create off the bounce. Derrick White’s 17.6 points and 5.4 assists provide secondary playmaking, but his probable status after Friday’s rest day is something to monitor for lineup consistency.
The problem in this spot is simple: they just played 58 minutes against Brooklyn, and rotation depth becomes critical when you’re asking guys to turn around on short rest. Pritchard logged heavy minutes in that double overtime game, and Brown played 48-plus. That’s wear and tear that shows up in defensive rotations and transition defense, especially against a Bulls team that can push tempo when Giddey is running the offense.
Boston’s 15-9 road record is respectable, but this is a different kind of road game. It’s not just about playing away from home—it’s about playing away from home on the back end of a double overtime grind with a key rotation piece questionable. The Celtics can still win this game, but the margin for error is razor-thin.
Bulls Breakdown: The Other Side
Chicago’s offense runs through Josh Giddey’s ability to facilitate and Coby White’s scoring punch. Giddey at 19.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 8.9 assists is a triple-double threat every night, and his return from the hamstring issue gives the Bulls their primary playmaker back. White averaging 18.7 points provides a secondary scoring option who can get hot from three, and Vucevic at 16.8 points and 9.1 boards gives them a steady presence in the paint.
The home/road split is significant here. Chicago is 14-9 at United Center and just 8-13 on the road, which tells you they’re a different team in front of their own crowd. Against a Celtics squad that’s dealing with fatigue and travel, that home-court advantage carries more weight than it would in a neutral rest situation.
The Bulls are also healthier than Boston in terms of rotation availability. Zach Collins remains out with a toe sprain, and Noa Essengue is done for the season, but neither player was a major rotation piece. Giddey being back at probable status is the key development, because his playmaking is what makes Chicago’s offense functional. Without him, they’re a team that struggles to generate clean looks in the halfcourt.
The Matchup: Where This Game Gets Decided
This game comes down to whether Boston can overcome the fatigue factor and execute defensively against a Bulls team that’s rested and at home. The Celtics just played 58 minutes in Brooklyn, which means their legs are going to be tested in transition defense and closeout rotations. Chicago doesn’t need to play at a breakneck pace to exploit that—they just need Giddey to push in semi-transition and force Boston to rotate on the back end of possessions.
Offensively, Boston’s efficiency without Tatum relies on Brown’s ability to get downhill and Pritchard’s shooting gravity. But if Pritchard is gassed from Friday’s double overtime session, that shooting efficiency takes a hit. Chicago can load up on Brown and force the supporting cast to beat them, and that’s a winning formula when you’re facing a team on short rest.
The total at 229.5 assumes both teams stay in the 110-115 range, which makes sense given the pace and rest dynamics. Boston’s offense might struggle to hit their usual efficiency marks, and Chicago’s offense is more methodical than explosive. The under has value if you believe the Celtics’ fatigue shows up as missed shots and the Bulls play to the pace they want.
Bash’s Best Bet & The Play
I’m taking the Bulls -1 and treating this as a rest-versus-execution spot. Boston just played 58 minutes in double overtime less than 24 hours ago, and now they’re traveling to Chicago to face a rested home team that just got its primary playmaker back. The Celtics are good enough to win this game if everything clicks, but the margin for error is nonexistent when you’re asking rotation players to perform on fumes.
Chicago’s 14-9 home record tells you they defend their floor, and Giddey’s return gives them the playmaking they need to exploit Boston’s fatigue in transition. The spread at -1 is essentially a pick’em, and in a pick’em situation, I’m taking the team with the rest advantage and home court. The risk is that Brown goes nuclear and drags Boston to a cover, but I’ll bet on tired legs showing up in the fourth quarter.
BASH’S BEST BET: Bulls -1 for 2 units.
Chicago takes this one at home, and the Celtics’ double overtime hangover shows up when it matters most. Trust the rest advantage in a tight spread.
