Missing three starters? Back end of a back-to-back and third game in four nights? No problem in The Windy City with the Celtics beating the Bulls 124-113.
Since the tail end of their west coast road trip, the Hospital Celtics haven’t fielded their preferred starting lineup over the last nine games. With Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday all nursing nagging injuries and Boston comfortably in the lead in the East and the league overall, head coach Joe Mazzulla started with Derrick White, Jason Tatum, Sam Hauser, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet.
Those absences haven’t seemed to matter over the team’s now nine-game win streak as the Stay Ready group continued their impressive run of winning basketball.
Over his last four games — two starts, two off the bench — Payton Pritchard has averaged 19 points and 8 assists in a bigger role. On this Saturday night in Chicago, Pritchard finished with 15 points and a team-high +17 and eight assists.
After a two-game absence because of an ankle sprain that took him out of a likely historic night from behind the arc in Washington, Hauser hit 4-of-11 threes in his return against the Pistons on Friday night. Twenty-four hours later, he was near perfect, hitting 7-of-8 from 3.
“I think it’s just a comfort level that his teammates are looking for him,” Mazzulla said of Hauser’s twenty threes over his last three games. “I think that’s really what it is…If you look at most of his threes, there are really good passes, timely passes into his shot. I really think it’s that comfort level that he knows he’s going to get open and he knows that guys are going to see him.”
Kornet has been a +62 over his last eight appearances, acting as an often dynamic vertical spacer on offense and reliable rim protector on D with twenty rebounds on the offensive glass. Against his former team, Kornet grabbed five more offensive rebounds — nearly half of Boston’s 12 — to spearhead a 23-2 advantage in second chance points.
Jayson Tatum chipped in with 26 points. Horford and White had 23 and 17, respectively.
The final Celtics-Bulls matchup provides what could be a preview of the first round. Chicago is likely going to be locked in to the 9 vs. 10 game in the Play-In Tournament with Atlanta Hawks. The winner plays against the loser of the 7 vs. 8 game for the #8 seed in the East.
After tonight’s win, the Celtics sweep the season series 3-0 and a total +55, including that 27-point blowout that inflated the Celtics plus-minus in order to qualify for the In-Season Tournament.
Boston continues their six-game road trip with an extended trip to Atlanta. They’ll play two games against the Hawks on Monday and Thursday next week.
