The Chicago Bulls are set to face the visiting Boston Celtics in a crucial NBA Cup matchup on Friday.
Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta all share a 2-1 record in the Eastern Conference Group C standings, while Cleveland is 1-1 and Washington is 0-3.
The Bulls will clinch the Group C championship if they defeat the Celtics and the Hawks overcome the Cavaliers on Friday night. Chicago holds the tiebreaker over Atlanta thanks to their head-to-head victory.
Should both Chicago and Cleveland win on Friday, the Bulls would still top Group C if the Cavaliers lose to the Wizards on Tuesday, leaving Chicago as the only 3-1 team in Group C.
However, if both the Bulls and Cavaliers finish 3-1, Cleveland will secure the Group C championship based on their head-to-head win over Chicago. In this case, the Bulls would need to win the point-differential tiebreaker against other 3-1 non-group champions to earn the Eastern Conference’s lone wild-card spot.
A victory for Boston combined with a Cleveland win over Atlanta would grant the Celtics the Group C title, as they hold the tiebreaker against Cleveland following a 120-117 win on November 19.
The Bulls are coming off a 133-119 loss to the Magic on Wednesday. Ayo Dosunmu led Chicago with 21 points, while Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Lonzo Ball returned to action for the Bulls against the Magic after missing 15 games due to a sprained wrist. He contributed six points, four steals, and two blocked shots in 15 minutes of play.
The Celtics have been off since their 126-94 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, which marked the season debut for Kristaps Porzingis, who had been recovering from offseason foot surgery. Porzingis scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in 23 minutes against the Clippers, adding to Boston’s season-high 11 blocked shots during the win.
Monday’s triumph extended Boston’s winning streak to six games.
The Celtics boast an 8-1 road record this season, while the Bulls are 2-6 at home.
