Celtics Embarrass Bulls With Defense
The Celtics needed to bounce back from a bad loss in Denver, and they picked things up on defense against Chicago
The Boston Celtics hosted the Chicago Bulls Sunday afternoon at the TD Garden for their final meeting of the season. The Celtics needed to bounce back from an ugly loss to the Denver Nuggets Friday night, where they struggled to get stops on the defensive end. The Bulls are in the midst of a playoff race for the bottom part of the eastern conference seedings.
Both teams had something to play for, but only one showed up. Boston set the tone early with a 13-0 run to start the game. The Celtics’ defense was stifling on the perimeter, and they won the rebounding battle 51-40 against a Bulls team that usually dominates on the glass.
The Bulls only managed to score 26 points in the first half, the lowest total in the NBA this season for the first two quarters of a game. Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade were held in check, shooting a combined 6-22 for 13 total.
More from Celtics News
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas proved why they are one of the best back courts in the NBA, scoring efficiently on offense, and making plays on the defensive end.
The Celtics played well, and made sure that they would not let this Bulls team hang around. Chicago simply did not show up for this game. They were incredibly lazy on defense, and couldn’t get anything going on the offensive end due to Boston’s stingy defense.
Boston has played their best defense of the season in their recent stretch. Besides some rough outings against Denver and the Clippers, it is safe to say that they are improving on that end of the floor. They will need to find more consistency on defense if they hope to reach their full potential as a team, but this is what Celtics fans were hoping for when Al Horford signed on with the team. Efficient offense and great defense.
With 15 games remaining, Boston is tied with Washington for the second seed in the eastern conference. The Celtics have one of the easiest schedules in the NBA to close out the regular season, so they will need to capitalize this opportunity to grab as much home court advantage as possible.
A likely second round match up with the Wizards makes home court that much more important. Washington is not a good road team, but a great team in their building. Boston would benefit from having the vital games in a series at the Garden instead of the Verizon Center.
The Celtics are experiencing the benefits of a healthy roster, and they will need to stay healthy to become the best team they can. Look for this team to develop some consistency against some lesser teams, and win some big games down the stretch to secure home court over most of the eastern conference.