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Chicago and Boston square off in conference matchup

Boston Celtics (37-22, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (14-44, 13th in the Eastern Conference)

Chicago; Saturday, 8 p.m. Eastern

BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Conference foes Chicago and Boston meet at the United Center.

The Bulls have gone 10-25 against Eastern Conference teams. Chicago is 4-8 in one-possession games.

The Celtics have gone 27-11 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is sixth in the league with 26.4 assists per game, led by Kyrie Irving averaging 6.9. The Celtics earned a victory in the last meeting between these two teams on Dec. 8. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 23 points and Shaquille Harrison led Chicago with 20 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lauri Markkanen leads the Bulls with 8.8 rebounds and averages 18.5 points. Kris Dunn has averaged six assists and 9.1 points over the last 10 games for Chicago.

Al Horford leads the Celtics with 6.8 rebounds and averages 12.7 points. Jayson Tatum has averaged 7.2 rebounds and added 16.9 points per game over the last 10 games for Boston.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 7-3, averaging 115.5 points, 45.9 rebounds, 28.4 assists, 9.4 steals and 6.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.1 points on 45.0 percent shooting.

Bulls: 3-7, averaging 113.3 points, 44.8 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 6.2 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.6 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.3 points on 47.2 percent shooting.

Bulls Injuries: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot: day to day (oblique), Wendell Carter Jr.: out (left thumb), Denzel Valentine: out for season (ankle), Chandler Hutchison: out (right toe fracture).

Celtics Injuries: Aron Baynes: out (foot), Gordon Hayward: out (right ankle sprain).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by HERO Sports, and data from Sportradar.

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