Vegas Play of the Day: Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017 | 10:43 a.m.

We’re entering the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015. Bern stepped away in the middle of the 2016-2017 season with a 16-12 record and $13,317 bankroll, with Mike Grimala taking his place.

Chicago Bulls pick’em vs. Boston Celtics: $440 to win $400

Boston has been the best team in the NBA playing on back-to-back nights. The Celtics are an impressive 9-3 straight-up, 8-4 against the spread on the second night when playing two games in a row.

But I still don’t trust them in the situation. Nothing is more repressive to a team’s ability to win than back-to-backs, even a team with as much depth and as well coached as the Celtics.

Boston battled to win a 116-108 game with Philadelphia last night, and then immediately boarded a plane to get to their fourth game in six days. Meanwhile, Chicago rested going into its fourth straight day at home ahead of only its third game in six days.

It might not sound like that big of a difference, but this situation usually favors the team in Chicago’s role. The Bulls aren’t nearly as strong as the Celtics, but they did defeat them 105-99 in a pick’em at the United Center early in the season.

Going to Chicago and winning isn’t easy without any elements stacked against a team. In this case, Boston has additional hurdles to overcome.

Current Standings: Keefer (37-28-2, $10,541), Grimala (5-5, $10,000), Brewer (23-23-1, $8,315), Granger (9-11-1, $7,520)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.