On Thursday night, the Chicago Bulls came in to TD Garden and stunned the Celtics, leaving with a 117-108 victory. Boston had their second worst three-point shooting performance of the season, just 25% as a team, and that, too, on 56 attempts. The game was well within reach throughout, and the Celtics were even leading to start the 4th quarter, but Chicago brought a late burst of energy to push themselves over the top, coupled with a mental collapse by the Celtics.
Whether warranted or not, Joe Mazzulla and Jaylen Brown received technical fouls in a 3-point game with just over 5 minutes to play, and Jayson Tatum received one of his own just 2 minutes later. Tonight, the two teams match up again, this time in Chicago.
How much focus do the Celtics put on the paint if the three-point shots continue to fail?
The Celtics haven’t budged much when it comes to taking threes, averaging over 50 attempts per game this season. They’ve only taken under 50 attempts ten times this season, and have a record of 8-2 in such games, the two losses coming to Atlanta (42 3PA) and Cleveland (49 3PA). That being said, all six of their losses have come in games where they shot at or under 40% from three.
Chicago isn’t one of those teams with an intimidating paint protector, Nikola Vucevic averaging just 0.8 blocks per game. The Celtics ended up scoring at a 77.3% clip in the circle on Thursday night, 66.7% in the paint as a whole, which resulted in 44 total points. They were able to score there more or less at will, so if the threes continue to bounce out, maybe we see the Celtics look to attack the paint more tonight.
Can the Celtics win the rebounding battle?
In the first matchup against the Bulls, Boston outrebounded Chicago 51 to 43. In Thursday’s matchup, the Bulls flipped the script, outrebounding the Celtics 56 to 45. In both games, the Bulls ended the night with the higher FG%, though by a wider margin in the last game. If the Celtics want to win tonight, they’re going to have to do a better job on the boards. Securing extra possessions while also preventing them for Chicago is the best way to overcome poor shooting performances.
Will the Celtics maintain their defensive intensity throughout the game?
The Celtics started Thursday’s matchup with a block party, recording 3 blocks in the 1st quarter and 1 in the 2nd. There were at least a couple more shots that looked like Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis were able to affect, but ultimately weren’t added on to the stat sheet. They kept the party going in the 3rd quarter, with White and Porzingis combining for 3 more blocks.
The team had a defensive rating of 110.2 in the 1st half, along with a rating of 116.7 in the 3rd quarter. In the 4th quarter, however, the team had an abysmal defensive rating of 140.0, which led to a net rating of -52.0 for the quarter. Even by the eye test, Boston looked slow and uncomposed. By the end, it felt as though Chicago was able to blow past Boston’s defenders at will. It seemed as though the Celtics were getting frustrated, and that frustration boiled over to the point where it was directed at the officials.
Ultimately, their lack of effort on the defensive end is what let Thursday’s matchup slip out of their hands. To avoid a repeat, they’re going to have to come out with a chip on their shoulder. Maintaining a strong defense throughout the entirety of the game is the best way to support their offense, and help them come out with a victory.
