No higher strategy to rebound from a troublesome loss than getting a dominant win towards a struggling crew.
After getting crushed by the Knicks on Tremendous Bowl Sunday, the Boston Celtics took an early 20-point lead within the second quarter towards the not too long ago overhauled and undermanned Chicago Bulls and by no means seemed again, ending the sport with a 124-105 win and Gino Time on Bob Cousy bobblehead night time.
The win is Boston’s sixth victory in its final seven video games and Chicago’s sixth loss in a row.
Along with buying and selling away Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White and Nikola Vučević on the deadline, Chicago was additionally lacking Zach Collins, Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro, Jalen Smith and Noa Essengue, who have been all injured and inactive.
The Bulls began Collin Sexton, Patrick Williams and Matas Buzelis, in addition to former Celtics Guerschon Yabusele and Anfernee Simons — who scored a lackluster 7 factors on 33.3% capturing from the sector in his return to Boston.
Regardless of being listed on the Celtics’ damage report yesterday, Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta each began and performed stable minutes alongside fellow starters Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Baylor Scheierman.
Jayson Tatum was the one inactive Celtic.
Boston bought off to a clumsy begin with a Neemias Queta post-up that resulted in a turnover, however Jaylen Brown introduced a gradual hand, scoring 10 of the Celtics’ first 22 factors on a mixture of midrange pictures and three-pointers that saved the offense working.
Whereas Boston allowed Chicago to shoot 62.5% from three-point vary over the primary quarter, with the Bulls’ first 4 makes an attempt all falling, the Celtics received the margins early by forcing 4 turnovers and placing up 5 extra pictures.
An enormous a part of that was the set off the bench supplied by Payton Pritchard, who got here into the sport and instantly hit an extended three-pointer from the highest of the important thing and ended the quarter with a wonderful driving shot, and Hugo Gonzalez, who drew an unlawful display screen on one among his first defensive performs.
The Celtics ended the primary quarter with a nine-point lead, however blew the sport aside with an 18-4 begin to the second quarter led by Payton Pritchard, who ended the half with 16 factors and just one missed shot.
The second quarter additionally noticed Nikola Vučević and Jordan Walsh come alive.
Vučević began gradual, as he was blocked on his first shot try and missed a large open shot following an up-and-under transfer that fully misplaced his defender within the first quarter. Nonetheless, by the top of the half, Vučević had 10 factors, 6 rebounds, 1 help and 1 steal on 50% capturing (4/8) from the sector and a pair of/3 capturing from three-point vary. On one play close to the top of the second quarter, he had the ball on the high of the important thing, handed it away and ended up getting it again for an open three-pointer resulting from spacing created by way of ball motion.
Walsh scored 7 factors on 3/4 capturing over the second quarter, together with hitting on an and-1 the place Vučević discovered him reducing to the rim. The vitality he delivered to the courtroom additionally manifested in two steals by the half. One steal led to a breakaway dunk for Walsh and one other led to an open Vučević three-pointer.
The Celtics rolled into the half with 72 factors and a 28-point lead, the second-highest halftime lead of the season.
They spent the remainder of the sport on cruise management, sustaining a 20-30 level lead over the Bulls all through the third and fourth quarters.
Over the second half, Vučević bought much more run — he ended with 26 minutes performed in comparison with 14 minutes for Neemias Queta — and performed robust. He completed the sport with one other double-double, recording 19 factors on 80% capturing (4/5) from three-point vary, in addition to 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and a pair of blocks in his first recreation towards his former crew. Whereas questions stay about his protection, his influence was felt in every single place on the offensive finish of the courtroom tonight.
Walsh additionally continued his energetic begin and completed the sport with 16 factors, 3 steals and 1 block. Whereas Baylor Scheierman began, Walsh set the tone early and was awarded for his efforts, ending with 29 minutes performed — six greater than Scheierman bought. He could have some chemistry brewing with Vučević, too, as the massive man assisted on two of his cuts to the rim.
Payton Pritchard led the crew in scoring with 26 factors off the bench and completed second in assists behind Derrick White, with 8 on the night time. It marked the fourth of 5 video games he has began off the bench this season the place he has scored not less than 20 factors.
Pritchard, Vučević and Walsh scored all 61 of the bench’s factors for the night time, solely 2 factors lower than the starters scored as a complete.
Jaylen Brown continued tearing aside the Bulls’ protection within the third quarter however slowed down within the fourth when his pictures stopped dropping. He clocked out earlier than the midway mark of the fourth quarter and completed with 24 factors.
With no video games left to play this week and All-Star Weekend starting Feb. 13, the Celtics may have eight days to relaxation earlier than dealing with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 19, on the Chase Heart in San Francisco.
Over the weekend, Ron Harper Jr. will take part within the Castrol Rising Stars mini-tournament on Friday, Feb. 13. He may also play within the Kia Capturing Stars competitors on Staff Harper together with his father, five-time champion Ron Harper Sr., and brother, San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Jaylen Brown will begin for Staff USA Stripes within the All-Star Sport — which can function a round-robin match between two groups of U.S. gamers and one crew of worldwide gamers over 4 12-minute video games — on Sunday, Feb. 15.
