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Celtics vs Bulls Recap: Final Score & Pick Result (Oct. 26, 2026)
By SportsHub Model · Edited by Kyle Parker
Final · · Recap updated
Final: October 26, 2026 | Recap updated: October 27, 2026, 10:12 AM ET
The Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 134-99 on Monday night at TD Garden. Payton Pritchard scored 19 of his 28 points in a 39-21 third quarter that turned a 12-point halftime lead into a 30-point cushion. Our model favored the Celtics (79%), and they won; there was no pick, because the price left no edge. Boston improved to 2-1, and Chicago fell to 1-3.
Celtics vs Bulls Final Score
| Team | 1H | 2H | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celtics | 66 | 68 | 134 |
| Bulls | 54 | 45 | 99 |
By quarter, Boston went 33-33-39-29 and Chicago 21-33-21-24. Tip-off was 7:30 p.m. ET.
How It Happened
Boston never trailed. The Celtics took the first quarter 33-21, and Jayson Tatum closed it with a drive at the buzzer. The lead reached 16 early in the second quarter.
Chicago matched Boston 33-33 in the second, but Tatum answered again, hitting a long three with 0.8 seconds left for a 66-54 halftime lead. He had 19 of his 23 points before the break.
The third quarter decided it. Paul George, Pritchard and Sam Hauser hit threes in a 93-second stretch that made it 89-70, and two more Pritchard threes about two minutes later pushed it to 101-73. Boston went 8-of-13 from deep in the quarter and led 105-75 after three.
The fourth was a formality. Tatum (28 minutes) and George (25) sat much of the final period. Chicago missed 15 of its first 19 threes and finished 12-of-44 (27.3%), while Boston made 21 of 44 (47.7%).
Top Performers
| Player | Team | Line |
|---|---|---|
| Payton Pritchard | BOS | 28 pts, 10-16 FG, 7-10 3PT, 4 ast in 22 min |
| Jayson Tatum | BOS | 23 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast |
| Norman Powell | CHI | 20 pts, 5-11 FG, 4-7 3PT |
| Caleb Wilson | CHI | 17 pts, 5 reb, 7-15 FG |
| Hugo Gonzalez | BOS | 13 pts, 5 reb, 4-6 FG |
Model Check
There was no pick on this game. Our model gave Boston a 79% chance to win, below the 87.7%–89.3% implied by its -714 to -833 moneyline, so we passed. Boston won, so the model's favorite was right; at that price, a $100 bet on the Celtics would have returned only about $12 to $14.
How the preview's reasons held up:
- "The spread asks for a blowout from a slow team": wrong. Boston won by 35, more than double the 13.5- to 14.5-point number.
- "Chicago's shooting is due to bounce": barely. The Bulls rose from 22.6% to 27.3% from three, still 20 points below Boston's 47.7%.
- Chicago's rebounding edge: gone. The Bulls came in at 48.3 boards a game to Boston's 38.0; Boston won the glass 54-40.
- The back-to-back: right, but it didn't matter. Boston rested its starters late, but the lead was already 30 after three.
The preview had no lean on the total.
Betting Results
- Moneyline: the Celtics (-714 to -833) won.
- Spread: Boston (-13.5 to -14.5) covered by more than 20 points.
- Total: the teams combined for exactly 233 points. That was an over at 232.5, a push at 233 and an under at 233.5, so the result depended on the number.
SportsHub Handicappers Last Night
The NBA board for Monday, October 26 (all games that night):
| Handicapper | Record | Net ($) | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach Rick | 3-0 | +$300 | 92.6% |
| Frankie the Fan | 2-0 | +$200 | 83.3% |
| Knup Sports - POTD | 2-1 | +$90 | 26.6% |
Over the last seven days (October 21–27), Frankie the Fan leads the NBA board at 7-0, +$702 (92.3% ROI). See every record on the handicapper leaderboard.
What's Next
Boston finishes a back-to-back at home against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, October 27, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Chicago hosts the New York Knicks on Wednesday, October 28, at 8:00 p.m. ET. The two teams meet again on Friday, October 30, at 7:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden. ESPN's schedule lists no national TV for any of the three games.
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