The Boston Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls 122-100. Kristaps Porzingis starred in this win with 34 points and eight three-pointers. Jaylen Brown was not far behind with 28 points. The Bulls were without their star Zach Lavine and Torrey Craig, while the Celtics were without Al Horford and Sam Hauser. With this game, Boston won the season series with Chicago 3-1. The Boston Celtics improved to 33-15 and the Bulls dropped to 20-28.
Kristaps Porzingis’s Hot Start
In their earlier matchups, the Boston Celtics had gotten the better of the Bulls in two out of three games. Porzingis had a hot start with three three-pointers. His efforts gave Boston a 10-0 lead. Lonzo Ball heated up for Chicago, helping them trim the early deficit. Then, after a few sloppy Celtics possessions, the Bulls went on a 12-2 run and took the lead. Jayson Tatum knocked down a couple of shots to put Boston back out front. They maintained their lead for the rest of the quarter but could not build on it. At the end of the first quarter, the Boston Celtics led 26-23. Porzingis had 15 points and Tatum had 7. Ball had 9 points.
Derrick White hit a pair of three-pointers to start the second quarter. The Boston Celtics tried to extend their lead, but the Bulls hung around. Boston pulled ahead by double digits, going on a 17-3 run. Brown began to roll after a cold start and the Celtics strung together a few defensive stops. They were forcing misses and turnovers, which they converted to baskets. Boston led by as many as 19 points. But their defense lapsed, and Chicago trimmed the lead heading into halftime. Porzingis hit a few more threes, and a Tatum shot at the buzzer gave the Boston Celtics a 67-51 lead.
Porzingis was the star of the first half for the Boston Celtics. He had 26 points and shot 6-of-8 from three. Brown had 15 points and played a huge role in their second-quarter run. Jaden Springer also got playing time off the bench in the first half, showing flashes of his performance against the Clippers with a steal and a three-pointer. Meanwhile, the Bulls were getting contributions from many players. Ball had 9 points, Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams had 8, and Josh Giddey had 7.
The Boston Celtics Pull Away
The Boston Celtics started the third quarter with a slick pass from Jrue Holiday into a Tatum dunk. This fueled them to extend their lead past 20 points, but it did not last long. Chicago refused to go down without a fight, playing with pace and hitting shots to stay in the game. They were not getting consecutive stops on defense, so the Celtics lead soon grew again. Boston led by as many as 24 points. Porzingis, Tatum, Brown, and White were all scoring. Chicago made an effort to trim the lead at the end of the quarter, but it was still substantial. Through three quarters, the Boston Celtics led 96-76.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulls aimed to make a comeback. They quickly cut into the deficit, but a few buckets from White and Payton Pritchard stalled their momentum. Still, Chicago was persistent and brought the lead down to 16. The Celtics went back up by 20 with five minutes left. The Bulls continued to make shots, but it had little effect because they could not get stops. White and Porzingis’s three-pointers sealed the game. Both teams pulled their starters in the final two minutes and the Celtics cruised to a 22-point victory. The Boston Celtics won 122-100.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 33-15 with the win. Porzingis scored 34 points with 11 rebounds. He shot 8-of-14 from three. Brown had 28 points and White had 22. Tatum only had 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting, but he was double-teamed for most of the game. The Bulls fell to 20-28 with the loss. Coby White and Patrick Williams led the team with 16 points apiece. With this game, the Boston Celtics won the season series 3-1. They travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans next.