This Friday at the TD Banknorth Garden in a NBA Basketball Matchup the Boston Celtics hosts the Chicago Bulls and is looking to win its seventh straight following an impressive victory over another of the league's best teams.

Game: Chicago Bulls (25-36) at Boston Celtics (47-12)
Date/Time: Friday, March 07 - 8:00 PM EST
Spread: Boston Celtics -10½ Total: 199
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Chicago Bulls are trying to win three in a row for the first time this season. Chicago beat visiting Cleveland 107-96 on Thursday as Luol Deng and Ben Gordon each scored 23 points and rookie Joakim Noah had 13 points and a season-high 20 rebounds. The Bulls covered the 4-point spread, while the combined score made it OVER the posted total of 197.

Noah, who registered his fifth double-double, is averaging 8.0 points and 7.9 rebounds in eight games since taking over as the team's starting center.

With Thursday's win and Tuesday's 112-97 victory over Memphis, Chicago won back-to-back games for just the fourth time this season. The Bulls, though, are still in playoff contention in the mediocre East. They are tied with Atlanta for ninth place, one game behind New Jersey for the final playoff spot.

Tyrus Thomas, who is averaging 6.3 points and 4.6 rebounds, will sit out Friday as he serves the second and final game of a suspension for skipping practice Wednesday. Thomas did not say why he skipped practice but that he and interim coach Jim Boylan had a talk that "broke some barriers."

The Celtics (47-12), missed the playoffs in the last two seasons. They became the first NBA team to clinch a postseason spot following a 90-78 win over Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Boston covered as 4-point home favorites as the teams played under the 184-point total posted by sportsbooks.

In a Eastern Conference matchup, Boston led the entire way, outscoring the Pistons 23-13 in the opening quarter. Kevin Garnett scored a season-high 31 points and six rebounds in the win, while Kendrick Perkins added 10 points and a career-high 20 rebounds.

As Boston moves toward securing the top seed in the East, it has a very favorable stretch over the next week to help it get closer. Including this contest against Chicago (25-36), the Celtics will play four straight games against teams with losing records.

With this victory, Boston improved to 27-4 at home this season. The Celtics, winners of nine straight at home, are holding opponents to an average of 87.6 points there - second-fewest behind Detroit.

Boston has won both meetings against the Bulls this season, including a 107-82 home victory on Dec. 21. The Celtics had lost eight straight against the Bulls.

NBA Basketball Oddsmakers currently have the Celtics listed as 10½-point favorites versus the Bulls, while the game's total is sitting at 199.

Current streak:
Chicago has won 2 straight games.
Boston has won 6 straight games.

Team records:
Chicago: 25-36 SU, 27-34 ATS
Boston: 47-12 SU, 34-23-2 ATS

Chicago most recently:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Detroit are 5-5
After playing Cleveland are 7-3
After a win are 1-9

Boston most recently:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Memphis are 3-7
After playing Detroit are 3-7
After a win are 9-1

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Boston
Chicago is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Boston
Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games

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