Celtics Cruise Past Bulls 125-111 in NBA Cup Win

The Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 125-111 on Friday night at TD Garden, cruising to an NBA Cup win in the second meeting between the teams in five days. Boston controlled the game throughout, but the 14-point final margin proved just short of the 15.5-point spread we sold to subscribers.

How the Game Unfolded

The Celtics never trailed, building a comfortable lead behind balanced scoring and efficient offense. Chicago, now 1-4 and allowing over 130 points per game, couldn't string together enough stops to threaten. The Bulls kept the final score respectable, but the outcome was never in doubt after the first quarter.

Grading Our Premium Pick

We took Boston -15.5 and Over on the total. The moneyline on Boston (-900) cashed easily, but the spread did not: the Celtics won by 14, missing the cover by 1.5 points. The over hit comfortably, as the combined 236 points cleared the number. Our model projected a 125.7-110.9 Boston win, which was nearly spot-on for the final score (125-111) but still short of the inflated spread.

What This Means for Future Picks

This result reinforces a lesson we've noted before: laying more than two touchdowns in the NBA is a tough ask, even for a superior team at home. Boston's +8.0 point differential and 119.8 scoring average suggested a comfortable win, not a blowout, and that's exactly what happened. Going forward, we'll be more cautious with large spreads against teams with nothing to lose—especially when the backdoor cover is live. The process was sound, but the price was a hair too high.