The Celtics didn’t miss a beat after a week-long All Star vacation, overpowering the Bulls 119-112 in a well-rounded effort. Eight players scored at least 8 points, seven players hit at least two threes, and the Celtics dynamic offense was on full display from start to finish, with a different star carrying the load each quarter.
Derrick White, who finished the night with 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, came out hot in the opening period. He put up a quick 12 points, as well as three wild blocks. The Celtics led by as many as 16 at one point in the first quarter, but gave up an 8-0 run to close the period.
In the second quarter, the Celtics defense — which was pretty connected for most of the night — let up, and Bulls exploded for 39 points. Nicola Vucevic led the charge for Chicago; he had 20 at the half, but scored just two points the rest of the way. On the Celtic side, Quarter #2 was all Jaylen Brown. He scored 14 in the period, and finished the night with 21 points (7-12 FG), 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. Brown carried over his hot play from the All Star game — he had 36 points in Indianapolis on Saturday night.
In the third quarter, Brown passed the mantle to his co-star, and The Jayson Tatum Show began. The Celtics came out of halftime with a 10-0 explosion, and Tatum led the charge with 15 points in the period. He finished the night with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, despite a slow start. Behind Tatum’s strong play and some stifling defense, the Cs traded in a 3-point halftime deficit for a 13-point lead heading into the final period.
Then, the Celtics bench unit put it away in the early minutes. The fourth quarter began with consecutive Payton Pritchard triples, shortly followed by back-to-back Luke Kornet put-back dunks. From there, the Celtics held a sizable lead from the remainder of the night.
The newest Celtics — Xavier Tillman and Jaden Springer — both made their debuts in the closing minutes. Tillman scored his first points as Boston Celtic, and also tallied his first block in green — Boston’s 11th of the night.
The trio of Sam Hauser (8 points, 3-3 from three), Pritchard (9 points, 3-6 FG), and Kornet (10 points, 5-6 FG) all came to play, providing timely plays throughout the game, particularly in the early fourth. Three-point shooting was huge for Boston all night long — the Celtics finished with 23 made threes on 48.9% shooting. The Bulls, on the other hand, shot just 10-28 from downtown.
Defense to offense and the Celtics lead is back to 14.
Sam Hauser has hit some timely ones tonight – he’s up to 8 points, and Jrue Holiday has 6 assists. pic.twitter.com/TWD55oz7lq
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) February 23, 2024
The lone Celtic to struggle was Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with 14 points on 5-16 FG. Jrue Holiday, now the most efficient corner three-point shooter in the NBA, added 9 points and 6 assists on 3-5 shooting.
With the win, the Celtics improve to a league-best 44-12 record, as well as a league-best 18-9 road record. Their win streak increases to 7 games, a league-best and their longest of the season. Boston hasn’t lost a road game since January 11th, when they got blown out by the Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back in Milwaukee.
Next up, the Celtics face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night at 8:30. New York is currently 34-22 and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
