Boston is 1-1 with a net rating of -0.9, built on a lopsided split between Tatum's and George's three-point shooting. Chicago arrives with the worse numbers, and the Celtics see the Bulls again on October 30.
Boston's ratings describe a team that has played even basketball.
The Celtics score 114.6 points per 100 possessions and allow 115.5, a net of -0.9 at a pace of 96.5. That fits a record of one loss by eight at Detroit and one win by four over New York. It does not prove a defensive problem or an offensive one. Two games are two games, and one bad quarter moves the third decimal of a rating this young.
The shooting split between Tatum and George will not hold.
Jayson Tatum is averaging 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists while hitting 17.6 percent from three. Paul George is at 26.5 points and 52.6 percent. Neither figure is a talent claim. One player is probably due a rise, the other a fall, and the offense should be judged after both settle. The 37.3 minutes Tatum is playing is the steadier number to trust.
Chicago's numbers are poor, and the injury list makes them harder to read.
The Bulls are 1-2 with an offense of 104.9, a defense of 118.2 and a net of -13.3 across three games. Caleb Wilson leads them at 22.3 points and Norman Powell adds 19.3. Nic Claxton is out with a hamstring injury, and Patrick Williams and Noa Essengue are day-to-day. A lineup missing a center tells us less about the Bulls than a full rotation would. Boston gets the rematch four days later, so one read on Monday gets tested on Friday.
The standings are moving without any games behind the movement.
Boston is seventh in the East at 1-1, half a game behind sixth-place Washington at 2-1 and level with tenth-place Chicago. The seed went from sixth to eighth and back to seventh on one record, which is tiebreakers shifting as other teams play. The pace projects to 41-41 over the 80 games left. That is arithmetic on a two-game record, not a forecast, and it says nothing about how the schedule will break.
What is the Celtics' record and seed right now?
Boston is 1-1 and seventh in the East, after a loss at Detroit and a 107-103 win over New York. The seed has shifted without a game, so treat it as provisional.
Who is injured for the Celtics against the Bulls?
Devin Carter is out with an illness and is listed with an estimated return of November 8. Chicago is without Nic Claxton, and Patrick Williams and Noa Essengue are day-to-day.
