The NBA playoff odds picture is only five games into an 82-game season, but Boston’s 125-111 win over Chicago paired a clear result with the widest gap in current projections: the Boston Celtics are at 90–100% to make the playoffs, while the Chicago Bulls are at 0–10%. Boston is 4-1; Chicago is 1-5. Those bands are early-season projections, not conclusions drawn from a handful of games.
Boston Celtics 125, Chicago Bulls 111
Boston’s 14-point win was one of eight results on October 30. The Celtics project for 51 wins, against 29 for Chicago, making the result consistent with the model’s broad outlook. The Bulls’ loss deepens a poor opening record, but six games are too small a sample to treat their playoff band as settled.
Denver Nuggets 127, Phoenix Suns 120
The Denver Nuggets improved to 3-2 with a seven-point win over the Phoenix Suns, who are 1-3. Denver sits at 60–70% for the playoffs and projects for 43 wins; Phoenix is at 0–10% and 34 projected wins. The result separates their current records, though not enough to make either early-season signal durable.
Golden State Warriors 112, Los Angeles Lakers 95
The Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers by 17. The Lakers fell to 4-2 but remain in the 80–90% playoff band, with 46 projected wins; their defeat does not erase that favorable forecast.
Orlando Magic 121, Toronto Raptors 114
The Orlando Magic earned a seven-point win and moved to 2-3. They are at 30–40% for the playoffs, compared with 80–90% for the 3-2 Toronto Raptors. Toronto’s stronger projection and 44 projected wins still provide substantial separation despite the head-to-head loss.
Miami Heat 145, Indiana Pacers 125
The Miami Heat scored 145 in a 20-point win over the Indiana Pacers. Miami is 2-4 and at 40–50% for the playoffs; Indiana is 2-4 and at 20–30%. Both teams project below 40 wins, so the result gives Miami a useful early win without resolving the gap between their forecasts.
Dallas Mavericks 116, Houston Rockets 111
The Dallas Mavericks edged the Houston Rockets by five. Dallas is 4-2, with a 60–70% playoff band and 43 projected wins; Houston is 5-1, at 90–100% with 49 projected wins. The Rockets’ loss came in a close game, and their better record and projection remain intact.
Minnesota Timberwolves 127, Los Angeles Clippers 101
The Minnesota Timberwolves delivered the night’s largest winning margin, 26 points, against the Los Angeles Clippers. Minnesota is 4-2 and at 90–100% for the playoffs, while the Clippers are 1-4 and at 10–20%. Their projected win totals are 48 and 35, respectively.
Philadelphia 76ers 98, New York Knicks 93
The Philadelphia 76ers closed the night with the narrowest win, five points over the New York Knicks. Philadelphia is 5-1, with a 90–100% playoff band and 47 projected wins. New York is 2-4; no playoff odds were supplied for the Knicks, so the result cannot be matched to a probability estimate.
Next matchup for Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls
The supplied results do not include an upcoming schedule, so there is no confirmed next game to identify. For now, Boston’s win over Chicago is a snapshot of contrasting records and projections—not evidence that either team’s early-season outlook has fundamentally changed.
Research sources
Additional reporting checked 2026-10-31T14:00:57.287+00:00.
