The Boston Celtics returned home after a lengthy road trip to face the Bulls. Boston led all night in the 115-101 win. Chicago came into the game with injuries up and down the roster and struggled to shoot the ball in the first half. Anfernee Simons was scoreless in the first half, but ended with a team-high 27 points for Boston. Payton Pritchard chipped in 21 points on the night.
Joe Mazzulla stuck with the winning starting five from the Clippers game with Sam Hauser in place of Jordan Walsh. Chicago came into the game missing a multitude of players with Zach Collins, Noa Essengue, Trentyn Flowers, and Josh Giddey all ruled out. Coby White was questionable prior to the game, but started for the road team.
The Celtics had a rough early shooting start to the game, hitting on just 5 of 15 to start the contest. Jaylen Brown opened up the game shooting 1-3, Queta 2-5, and Pritchard went 0-3 to start the game. At the 6-minute mark of the first quarter, the C’s somehow managed to have a 12-9 lead, as Chicago was also shooting poorly.
Rookie Hugo Gonzalez hit his first shot of the game, and Sam Hauser drained a rhythm three from the top key for his sixth point of the game, assisted by Derrick White. That bucket capped an 8-2 run for Boston as they took a nine-point lead, 20-11. Julian Phillips’ first three-pointer of the game for Chicago kept the Bulls in touch.
Jordan Walsh, who had a terrific game in LA two nights ago, drove and finished with an outstretched finger roll off the backboard to give Boston a 31-14 lead at the end of 1 quarter. Boston closed out the quarter on a 25-5 run; Chicago was awful to start the game, going just 27 percent from the field with 4 turnovers.
Celtics legend Dee Brown was in attendance at the game alongside owner Bill Chisholm courtside, and the Celtics’ former dunk contest champion was given a standing ovation at the start of the second quarter. Matas Buzelis and Kevin Huerter scored two straight buckets for Chicago on the interior; Luka Garza matched with his own mini hook shot on the offensive board to start the second quarter.
Chicago continued to be ICE COLD from three; they were a paltry 2-19 from beyond the stripe at the seven-minute mark of the second quarter. Boston was in control, but the home team was shooting just 32 percent overall but somehow enjoyed a 39-20 lead.
Huerter and Buzelis were the lone bright spots for Chicago; the pair racked up 17 of Chicago’s 22 points. Boston was winning the rebounding clash also; the Celtics had 13 offensive boards and counting at the 4-minute mark. Chicago’s first free throws of the game came at 4:19 minutes as Isaac Okoro drove and was fouled by Sam Hauser.
Baylor Scheierman hit a corner triple with arms held high on the no-dip shot attempt; Jaylen Brown had the assist, his third of the game. Jevon Carter hit a pair of threes in just 2 minutes of action; he had half of the team’s triples. Chicago was 4-25 from distance.
Boston closed out the half strong with a Payton Pritchard buzzer-beater triple over three Bulls defenders. C’s up 54-33 at the half; Pritchard was the team’s high scorer with 10 points in just 15 minutes of action. Brown looked fatigued for much of the first half, two days removed from the 50-point throwdown at the Intuit Dome, Los Angeles.
Pritchard was on fire to start the third; the former Sixth Man of the Year scored consecutive triples to start the third. Chicago also came out gunning to start the third quarter; Vucevic hit a 14-foot floater, and Tre Jones reeled off six points for the visitors as they cut Boston’s lead back to 16 points.
Pritchard found Anfernee Simons, who hit his first three of the game as PP got into the lane and sprayed it wide right in front of Joe Mazzulla. Luka Garza got his second block of the game; the ball rebounded loose to Okoro, who hit the corner three. Pritchard was flying around the court in the third; he had 11 points in 7 minutes of action.
Jordan Walsh answered a Coby White three with his first three-pointer of the night. Boston was rolling with a Walsh, Pritchard, Garza, Simons, and Scheierman lineup late in the third quarter. Ayo Dosunmu hit his eighth point of the game with a three-pointer, Chicago rebounding well from a dismal first-half shooting display.
Anfernee Simons burst into action late in the third quarter, he nailed two straight three-pointers and had a pair of free throws, the reserve logging his twelfth point of the quarter. Boston held onto an 18 point lead, the Celtics in control 85-67 after three.
Simons ripped the nylon nets on the fourth quarter’s first score, his fourth three of the game. Vucevic had 5 straight points for the Bulls as the road team cut it back to 15 points.
Anfernee Simons then hit back-to-back triples, he had 21 points in the second half and counting. Matas Buzelis skied for a loud one handed dunk as he cut through the key. Simons missed a three out of a double team, Luka Garza picked up the offensive board and got the put back follow, Boston up 19 points at the eight minute mark.
Simons was feeling it, hitting another three over Vucevic with a step back, the Boston crowd in awe, his seventh of the game. Vucevic hit a tough interior shot then sprayed a pass out to Buzelis who calmly sank his 26th point of the game, Boston’s lead was just 11 points with 4 minutes to go.
Queta dunked in the key, recording a double double on the night, Vucevic answering with a three. Derrick White hit a three-pointer and then blocked Coby White, Boston up 109-98. Chicago ‘s comeback came up short as Simons was cooking with 27 points, all in the second half.
Boston have three more home games this week. The Celtics next face the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden at 7 pm EST, Wednesday 7th of January.
