The Celtics didn’t miss a beat after a week-long All Star vacation, overpowering the Bulls 119-112 in a well-rounded effort.
White, who finished the night with 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, came out hot in the first quarter. He put up a quick 12 points, as well as three wild blocks. The Celtics led by as many as 16 at one point, but gave up an 8-0 run to close.
The Bulls exploded for 39 second-quarter points, led by Nicola Vucevic, who had 20 at the half – but scored just two points the rest of the way. Quarter #2 was all Jaylen Brown who scored 14 in the period. He finished the night with 21 points (7-12 FG), 5 assists, and 5 rebounds.
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 run, and Tatum led the charge with 15 points in the period. He finished the game with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. 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. The fourth quarter began with consecutive Payton Pritchard triples, shortly followed by back-to-back Luke Kornet putback dunks. From there, the Celtics held a sizable lead from the remainder 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 night.
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 added 9 points and 6 assists on 3-5 shooting.
To top it all off, the newest Celtics — Xavier Tillman and Jaden Springer — both made their debuts in the closing minutes.
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, also a league best.
Next up, the Celtics face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night at 8:30.
