Boston Celtics: 3 Keys to 111-82 Bounce Back Victory vs Bulls

Brown Back In Town

After failing to reach double figures in scoring in Boston’s last two losses, at Utah and Portland, Jaylen Brown said postgame he needed to attack the rim more.

Brown was a man of his word, overpowering the smaller Bulls guards off the bounce early and often, scoring in the paint and creating good shots for his teammates. Stevens kept calling Brown’s number with dribble-handoff, side pick-and-roll, with Al Horford as the screener, and Brown delivered.

The Bulls got out to an early 12-4 lead, before Kyrie Irving nailed a pull up three-pointer in transition to make the score, 12-7. On the next Celtics possession, Brown had a strong drive, finishing reverse with his right hand on the left side to avoid the shot-blocker.

Then, Brown deflected a Chicago pass, Irving punched it out ahead, and Brown threw it down, forcing a Bulls timeout.

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1062870148074196992

On the next play, Brown bounced Zach LaVine off him in the lane and sunk an easy fadeaway to complete a 9-0 run and put Boston ahead for the first time, 13-12.

After seeing the ball go through the hoop, Brown stepped behind the three-point line with confidence and knocked down his first three-pointer of the night a few plays later. Brown entered the game shooting 27.6 percent from distance, but made 2-of-4 Wednesday.

Irving and Brown were key in setting the tone for Boston in the first half, forcing their way into the paint to create offense for the Celtics. The third-year forward finished with 18  points, on 8-for-14 shooting, to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists.