Bulls at Celtics: Chicago returns to Boston with NBA Cup points at stake

Chicago heads back to the arena where it lost 134–99 to Boston on Monday. The short gap between games makes the first meeting useful evidence, but the stakes have changed. Monday's result belonged to the regular season; Friday is each team's East Group C opener in the Emirates NBA Cup. A 35-point defeat does not carry over into the Cup standings. It does leave the Bulls with a clear problem to solve: preventing Boston's outside shooting from deciding the rematch in a single quarter.

• Competition: 2026 Emirates NBA Cup, East Group C; the game also counts toward the 2026–27 regular season.
• Matchup: Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics.
• Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts.
• Tipoff: Friday, October 30, 7:30 p.m. EDT in Boston (23:30 UTC).

The third quarter Chicago has to address

Boston never trailed on Monday. It led by 12 at halftime and then won the third quarter 39–21 to put the game beyond Chicago's reach. Payton Pritchard scored 19 of his 28 points in the period and made all five of his 3-point attempts. Associated Press recorded eight Boston 3s on 13 attempts in that quarter. Jayson Tatum finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists; Paul George added 16.

Chicago made 12 of 44 shots from beyond the arc. Norman Powell led the Bulls with 20 points, while rookie Caleb Wilson scored 17. Their trouble in the decisive stretch had two parts: they could not match Boston's shooting and could not stop the run of possessions that produced a 30-point Celtics lead after three quarters. The rematch poses a specific challenge for new coach Tiago Splitter: take away clean looks for Pritchard while building an offense that does not require an unusually hot night from long range.

The opening week gives those numbers perspective. Boston was 3–1 heading into Wednesday, with three straight wins. The latest was a very different sort of victory: Tatum scored 40 on Tuesday and hit the shot at the overtime buzzer that lifted the Celtics past Brooklyn 125–124. That game came down to the final possession rather than reproducing the control Boston enjoyed against Chicago.

The Bulls, meanwhile, dropped to 1–4 on Wednesday with a 133–127 home loss to the Knicks. It was unlike the defeat in Boston: Chicago led by as many as 19 in the second half before New York rallied. Powell scored 30, Wilson 20 and Matas Buzelis 17; the Bulls made 18 of 42 3-point attempts. According to the Associated Press account, Powell missed a late 3 that could have tied the game. Chicago shot better from outside than it had on Monday but could not protect its lead. Friday's trip follows two losses that exposed different weaknesses.

A fresh group, and a changing Chicago team

The NBA placed Boston and Chicago in East Group C with Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington. Each club has four group games. An opening win provides room in a short schedule, though it cannot by itself determine who advances. Boston's Monday win over Chicago gives it no head start in this group. That distinction matters when the same teams play twice at the same venue within five days.

Chicago began the season with new front-office leadership, Splitter on the bench and Wilson, the fourth pick in the 2026 draft, as a prominent young piece. Powell supplies veteran scoring, while Wilson gives the Bulls another way to attack when the 3s do not fall. A closer game in Boston would require Chicago to find chances near the basket and limit the Celtics' second opportunities. That is a tactical possibility suggested by the first meeting, not a strategy the Bulls' staff has announced.

Boston has Tatum as its central figure and a recent reminder of how rapidly Pritchard can change a game. On Monday, Pritchard's 3-point burst opened a gap Chicago never closed. On Tuesday against Brooklyn, the Celtics needed Tatum's shot creation through the final second of overtime. Chicago could make the rematch more manageable by contesting early 3s and forcing longer Boston possessions. The Celtics, for their part, must keep the ball moving without expecting another 134–99 scoreline.

Availability ahead of Friday

The NBA's official injury report at 10:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday did not yet list Friday's Bulls–Celtics game. For the Knicks game, Chicago had listed Nic Claxton as out with a left hamstring strain, Tobe Awaka as out with a left ankle sprain and Patrick Williams as out with a right adductor strain. Those designations applied to Wednesday only. Their status for Boston depends on the Friday-specific report. The Celtics did not play Wednesday, and there was likewise no official designation for this Cup game. Neither starting five had been announced.

Chicago Bulls

• Friday-specific injury report: not yet filed at the cited cutoff. Wednesday's list does not establish who will be out or available in Boston.

Boston Celtics

• Friday-specific injury report: not yet filed. The absence of an early list does not confirm that the full roster will be available.

How to watch Bulls–Celtics

• Venue: TD Garden, Boston.
• Date and time: Friday, October 30, 7:30 p.m. EDT in Boston; 4:30 p.m. PDT on the US West Coast.

United States

• TV: the NBA's national schedule does not list a national network for this matchup.
• Streaming: the league's game-specific Cup schedule lists NBA League Pass. Prime Video also offers the game through a League Pass subscription. Live viewing may be subject to local market restrictions.

Australia

• Time: Saturday, October 31, 10:30 a.m. AEDT in Sydney; 7:30 a.m. AWST in Perth. TV and streaming: a game-specific broadcast has not yet been verified with an Australian operator.

United Kingdom

• Time: Friday, October 30, 11:30 p.m. GMT. TV and streaming: a game-specific broadcast has not yet been verified with a UK operator.

The first meeting showed how quickly Boston can turn a shooting run into a decisive lead. The second will show what Chicago has changed, with the Cup table starting from zero for both teams.