Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics, Isaiah Thomas
Feb 1, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. USA TODAY Sports / Winslow Townson

The Boston Celtics (53-29) will host the Chicago Bulls (41-41) Wednesday in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. On Sunday, the Celtics completed a 104-95 road victory to level the best-of-seven series at two wins apiece after going 2-0 down after the first two games in Boston.

The biggest talking point entering the game remains the status of Rajon Rondo. The veteran point guard missed Games 3 and 4 with a fractured thumb. According to ESPN's Mark Stein, Rondo held a private practice session Tuesday in an attempt to be cleared by the team for Game 5. A day before, Chicago Bulls Fred Hoiberg announced that fourth-year journeyman Isaiah Canaan would be the team's starting point guard for Game 5 ahead of backups Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams. Hoiberg spoke about Rondo's possible return for Game 6 back in Chicago but was non-committal about the guard playing in Wednesday’s Game 5. ‎

"He wants to play bad. As of right now, it's still tender and he's erring on the side of waiting until Game 6. But knowing him he could change his mind in the morning and try to play," a source close to Rondo told ESPN on Tuesday. The Bulls are expected to take a final call on Rondo's availability for Game 5 a few hours before tipoff. In what can be perceived as positive news for the Bulls, Rondo switched from a cast to a soft split and participated with his teammates Tuesday while shielding his injured thumb and wrist. There's also the possibility of Rondo coming off the bench and playing limited minutes on Wednesday.

After losing the first two games, the No. 1 seeded Celtics have stormed back into the series thanks to point guard Isaiah Thomas' scoring outbursts. Thomas lost his sister to a car accident before the start of the series but it hasn't prevented him from averaging over 25 points per game over the four games. "Mentally and emotionally, I'm not here, so I just feed off what the guys give me. They give me a lot of confidence. I can't do it without those guys. They believe in me, and being here is what makes me feel sane and somewhat normal through these tough times," the All-Star guard said, via ESPN.

Meanwhile, Hoiberg accused Rondo of regularly palming the ball during Game 4. "When you're allowed to discontinue your dribble on every possession, he's impossible to guard. When you're able to put your hand underneath the ball and take two or three steps and put it back down, it's impossible to guard him in those situations." The winner of the Celtics vs Bulls series will play either the Washington Wizards or Atlanta Hawks in the next round. Celtics vs Bulls live streaming, NBA Playoffs 2017 live streaming and Celtics live streaming info follows.

Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls live stream
How to watch NBA playoffs 2017 online

Start time: 8:30 p.m. (ET), 5:30 p.m. (PT), 10:30 a.m. on Thursday (AEST)
On TV: TNT (USA), ESPN (Australia)
Live Stream: NBA League Pass (Global), WatchESPN (Australia)

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