Chicago @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 5, 2018 ) Boston 105, Chicago 89

The injury news for the Boston Celtics just keeps getting worse, and the playoff-bound squad learned Thursday it will be without All-Star guard Kyrie Irving through the postseason. The Celtics, firmly entrenched in the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference, will continue their playoff preparation without Irving when they host the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

Irving was recovering from knee surgery and hoped to return during the postseason but the team announced that the dynamic guard will have another procedure that will require a recovery period of at least four months. "The hardest thing to do sometimes is accept the uncontrollable things life throws at you," Irving posted on his Instagram feed. "You try consistently to learn, grow, and prepare everyday to equip your mind, body, and spirit with tools to deal with some of those things, but I feel when those moments arise they all give you a sense of unfulfillment, simply because it puts some of your professional journey and goals on a brief hold." The Celtics recently surged to within two games of the first-place Toronto Raptors in the East, but losses at Milwaukee and Toronto on Tuesday and Wednesday helped the Raptors inch closer to sealing the No. 1 seed. Terry Rozier, who replaced Irving in the starting lineup, was 1-for-9 from the field in his return from an ankle injury in the 96-78 loss to the Raptors. The Bulls are showing late life with three straight wins and rookie Lauri Markkanen scored 24 points in the 120-114 victory over Charlotte at home Tuesday night.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), NBCS Boston

ABOUT THE BULLS (27-51): Chicago could improve its draft position if it lost a few more games down the stretch, but that's not going to motivate the current crop of players. "We're going out there and try to win every game," Markkanen told reporters after the win over the Hornets. "I hope we can keep this thing going." The 7-footer out of Arizona is averaging 23.5 points while making 10-of-14 3-pointers over his last two games.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (53-25): The 78 points scored at Toronto represents Boston's lowest output this season as it made a season-low three 3-pointers in 22 attempts and committed 14 turnovers in the first half alone. "It's vital that we get back on a good roll and go into the playoffs with some type of momentum," forward Marcus Morris told the media. Morris scored a team-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting while his teammates combined to go 18-of-61 from the floor.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Celtics PG Shane Larkin (illness) missed the last three games and is day-to-day.

2. Bulls PF Bobby Portis averaged 17 points in 19.5 minutes over the last two games.

3. Boston won two of the first three meetings, including a 117-92 triumph on Dec. 23 in the first matchup at home.

PREDICTION: Celtics 105, Bulls 101