Bulls vs. Celtics: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season
The Boston Celtics handed the Chicago Bulls their first loss of the season with a 107-100 win Wednesday night.
While most fans from Chicago were focusing on the World Series, they missed a competitive NBA game that featured two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls overcame a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the game up at 100-100 with under two minutes left. However, the Celtics scored the final seven points to secure the victory and move both teams to 3-1 on the season.
Boston succeeded despite being shorthanded, playing without center Al Horford, who sat out the game with a concussion. Jae Crowder also suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and did not return.
Amir Johnson helped pick up the slack on the offensive end, finishing with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including a 16-point third quarter. Bleacher Report's Michael Pina joked about the surprising performance:
Isaiah Thomas also made a big impact as usual with 23 points, 10 assists and three steals, including a key basket down the stretch.
Jimmy Butler had a streaky game for the Bulls, totaling 23 points, with 11 coming in the fourth quarter to keep things close. Rajon Rondo also filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Nikola Mirotic added 17 points off the bench.
Unfortunately, the team was undone by 19 turnovers and questionable perimeter defense throughout the night.
Boston was the fresher team out of the gate after three days off with some excellent shooting in the first quarter. The squad jumped out to a 36-25 lead after the first 12 minutes while knocking down 6-of-9 shots from three-point range.
Jay King of MassLive.com provided his early thoughts:
Tyler Zeller also helped in his first start of the season with this big throwdown, via the NBA on Twitter:
The Celtics went up 43-29 in the second quarter before Butler took over with a personal 8-0 run to keep things close.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune also noted another player who helped out in the comeback effort:
A game that looked like it would be a blowout early turned into only a 55-52 Celtics advantage going into halftime.
Mark Schanowski of CSN Chicago discussed the difference in the second quarter for Chicago:
The action remained close in the third quarter, but it was Johnson of all people who helped the Celtics pull away with four three-pointers in four attempts.
This guarded shot from the perimeter was an ultimate heat check for a player who isn't considered an outside shooter, via the Celtics:
Considering Johnson had only gone 10-of-43 from three-point range all last season, this was quite a surprise. Taylor C. Snow of Celtics.com provided another interesting note on the suddenly red-hot shooter:
Johnson had 16 points in the third quarter compared to just 18 for Chicago as the Celtics held an 81-70 lead going into the fourth.
It once again appeared Boston would pull away for an easy win, but in a flash the game became competitive once again, as described by Sean Highkin of Sports on Earth:
After zero points in the third quarter, Butler knocked down some big shots to keep it close, much to the delight of the Bulls' official Twitter account:
Though Chicago was able to tie it at 100-100, Boston pulled away with the final seven points of the game to secure an important home win while avenging its only loss of the season.
Butler discussed the comeback that ultimately fell short, per Johnson:
Boston coach Brad Stevens had good things to say about the win after the game:
The Celtics have a quick turnaround before one of their biggest games of the season Thursday, a road matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Chicago will return home for a matchup against the New York Knicks Friday, hosting former Bulls stars Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah for the first time with their new team.
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