Boston at Chicago

The Boston Celtics edged out the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the East. Here we are in Round 1 and the Cavaliers are up 3-0 in their series while the Celtics have lost two straight at home and are 0-2 in theirs. Meanwhile, Isaiah Thomas has to continue with the untimely death of his sister, and after going to Tacoma, WA to be with family he has returned for Game 3. It was tough in the first two, but after grieving with family it may be even tougher for him in Game 3. Without his offense, the Celtics have proven to have few options. The only alternative is to come in and buckle down on the defensive end, especially early in the game, to keep the crowd from fueling the Bulls. These teams have a long history of playing ugly defensive games in Chicago, and the last 43 meetings have produced a 27-15-1 mark to the UNDER, producing a grand total of an average of 192.1 points per game. Just three times in the last 15 played here has either team scored 106 points or more. The first half of the last 43 meetings have seen a woeful 94.5 ppg scored between the two teams. Defense is going to have to get Boson back in this series, and with Thomas a tough choice on the road with what he has dealt with the past couple of days is going to be tough. Play on the first half and the full game UNDER in this one.