(Photo Courtesy of X) “Luke Kornet celebrates against the Bulls”
Shaan Baid
Connector Staff
The Boston Celtics picked up right where they left off before the All-Star break. Boston demolished the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on Thursday night in their first game since the break. With this win, Boston extends its winning streak to seven games while increasing their first-place lead in the Eastern Conference by 7.0 games.
Boston got off to a strong start in the opening quarter, leading 31-15 at one point. Derrick White led the charge with 12 points and three blocks, including one on Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. However, Chicago closed the gap, with Boston only leading 31-23 to end the quarter.
Chicago continued to build on this momentum by exploding for 39 points in the second quarter to go up 62-59 at the half. The Celtics defense had no answers for Vucevic, as he ended up with 20 points in the first half. On offense, star forward Jaylen Brown led the way with 14 points in the quarter.
After a rough first half, star forward Jayson Tatum caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 15 points. Boston turned a three-point deficit into a 13-point lead, thanks to their vaunted defense, which stifled Chicago. Boston ended up outsourcing Chicago 37-21 in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Boston also got valuable contributions from the bench unit to help put the game away. Point guard Payton Pritchard, small forward Sam Hauser and center Luke Kornet kicked off the quarter with a couple of big plays. Pritchard and Hauser hit multiple triples, and Kornet hit back-to-back putback dunks (while dabbing) to help Boston run away with the game.
Tatum, Brown and White all had big nights in the win. Tatum finished the night with 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Brown finished with 21 points on 7/12 field goal shooting, with five rebounds and five assists. White finished with 28 points on 9/14 field goal shooting.
Tatum and Brown continued their hot streak from the All-Star game when they combined for 56 points, helping Team East in a 211-186 victory.
Boston’s three-point shooting was exceptional, with 23 makes at a 48.3% clip. Hauser was perfect from three, going 3-3, and Pritchard went 3-6. Point guard Jrue Holiday shot 2/3 from three. Meanwhile, the defense held Chicago to just 10/28 three-point shooting. Overall, Boston’s defense was outstanding, recording 11 blocks and 10 steals.
The only Celtic that struggled was star center Kristaps Porzingis, who only had 14 points on 5/16 field goal shooting.
Center Xavier Tillman and guard Jaden Springer, acquired at the trade deadline, both made their debuts in the closing minutes. Tillman scored his first points as a Boston Celtic and recorded his first block.
With the win, Boston improves to 44-12, still in the hunt for their first 70-win season in franchise history. What stands out is their 18-9 road record, showing poise to play in adverse conditions.
Next on deck, the Celtics face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night at 8:30. The Knicks are currently 34-22, holding the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
