Two nights after unraveling against the Rockets, the Celtics left no doubt against the Bulls, earning a 122-100 win Wednesday at TD Garden.
Kristaps Porzingis poured in 34 points, shooting 10 of 18 from the field, 8 of 14 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 from the line. He also added 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, finished plus-22 and was the best player on the floor.
Jaylen Brown scored 28, Derrick White 22 and Jayson Tatum 16, as the Celtics shot 40.9 percent from 3-point range and racked up 32 assists.
Here are 10 takeaways:
1. Kristaps Porzingis set the tone early.
Porzingis scored 13 of the Celtics’ first 15 points, helping Boston jump out to an early nine-point lead. He buried three 3-pointers, including a nonchalant 33-footer, and added a jumper and free throws.
He’s always a threat, but every once in a while, he takes it to another level. Porzingis is averaging 9.8 points in the first quarter over the last 10 games. This was quite a display, as he finished with 15 in the first and helped the Celtics build a 26-23 edge through 1.
2. The Celtics caught fire in the second quarter.
Porzingis continued his torrid stretch in the second quarter, adding 11 more to finish the half with 26 (his highest-scoring half as a Celtic) on 8-of-11 shooting. He was 6 of 8 from 3 and 4 of 4 from the line, as Boston took a 67-51 advantage into halftime.
The Celtics poured in 41 points in the quarter and shot 15 for 23 (65.2 percent) from the floor and 6 for 12 from 3. They played the way they know how and made the game look rather easy, like they can.
Celtics, with 67 points, had their highest scoring first half since Dec. 4 against Detroit when they had 72. They also scored 41 in the 2nd quarter.
— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) January 30, 2025
3. Jaylen Brown was a perfect sidekick.
With Porzingis locked in from the outside, Brown did most of his damage from inside the arc. Brown consistently beat defenders off the dribble, stopped on a dime and finished in traffic.
Brown also excelled as a passer, registering six assists – including this nifty dime to Tatum.
4. Derrick White has found a rhythm.
This is a bit of a bleak stat, so sorry Celtics fans, but this was White’s first game shooting 50 percent or better on 10 or more attempts since Jan. 3 against the Rockets.
He let the game come to him and found a natural rhythm in the flow of the offense. Sometimes White rushes his shots, and he avoided doing so Wednesday night.
White really is the X-factor for the Celtics. When he’s cooking, they often reach another level.
5. Payton Pritchard’s passing was on point.
Pritchard gets a lot of love for his scoring, as he should, but he’s also an elite playmaker and passer. He finished the first half with seven assists and was plus-16 in the half.
He has a pulse for providing what the game needs, which is a trait the league’s elite players share.
As a team, the Celtics hit the magic number of 30-plus assists.
That’s 27 straight regular season wins for the Celtics when dishing at least 30 assists. The last loss was Feb. 1, 2024 against the Lakers.
— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) January 30, 2025
6. They didn’t play down to their opponent.
The Celtics have had the unhealthy habit of playing down to the level of their competition at times this year.
They had no such problem Wednesday night, as they dismantled a shorthanded Bulls team without Zach LaVine and Torrey Craig.
It’s often more mental than it is physical in games like this, so kudos to the Celtics for not falling for the trap.
7. Joe Mazzulla went deep into his bench.
With Al Horford and Sam Hauser out, coach Joe Mazzulla played turned to Drew Peterson and Jaden Springer to help fill the void and played nine in the first quarter.
Springer continued to look sharp, contributing a steal on one end and hitting a corner 3 on the other. It’s a win-win for the Celtics; either he continues to establish himself as someone they can trust or he continues to help his trade value.
Peterson didn’t do anything flashy, but he was steady and helped space the floor.
8. They defended Nikola Vucevic well.
Nikola Vucevic always seems to play well against the Celtics. They held him to six points, on 3-of-9 shooting, in this one and never let him get comfortable. On the other end, he had trouble sticking with Porzingis, to say the least.
As a team, the Bulls shot just 40.2 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from 3. While the Celtics’ close-outs and rotations could still be better in spurts, their overall defensive execution was there the bulk of the night.
9. Mazzulla left the Celtics’ stars in late.
With three minutes left, and the Celtics up 21, Mazzulla still had Pritchard, White, Brown, Tatum and Porzingis out there (Holiday didn’t play much in the second half, so something to monitor there).
Perhaps it was a bit of a message to his players that they needed to finish the game right. Or maybe he just genuinely didn’t think it was over (you can’t blame him). Either way, it was intriguing.
10. It was a win they should have, but it was still important.
While this was clearly a game the Celtics should win on paper, they’ve shown this year that paper doesn’t mean much.
They took care of business, and now they’ll have a chance to do the same against the Pelicans on Friday.
This win doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve turned a corner, but it could be the start of something bigger if they find a way to build on it.
