Boston Celtics: 3 Keys to 111-82 Bounce Back Victory vs Bulls
By Thomas King
Defense With Attitude
Nothing mends a broken defense like a game against the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics defense bounced back from their lackluster performance over a 5-game road trip, holding the Bulls to just 82 points on 39.3 percent from the field.
Shackling a backcourt of Ryan Arcidiacano and Justin Holiday isn’t quite the same task as corralling CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard, but the Celtics defense seemed much more locked in than it had been over the recent road trip. The defense played with a renewed energy, not just suffocating Chicago’s less than stellar offense, but collapsing it lifeless on the floor.
The great defensive performance all began with the way the Celtics were able to hold Zach LaVine, the Bulls’ best player, in check. LaVine came into the game averaging 27.1 points per game, good enough to rank 5th in the league in that category. But, Boston never let LaVine get going. He scored just 10 points, shooting 3-of-11 from the field. Without their star player producing like he has been all season, the Bulls struggled to create good opportunities to score.
The Celtic defense really kicked into gear in the second quarter, as Boston limited Chicago to just 11 points in the frame. Yes, you read that correctly. Just 11 points.
Even in a second grade in-town game, that qualifies as getting locked up. The Celtics contested everything, forcing the Bulls into chucking up one low-percentage shot after another.
Al Horford, in particular, had a fantastic defensive game. Horford had been very upset with his defensive play following a recent game against the Utah Jazz.
Al Horford: "Today I wasn't very happy with my performance. I felt like I wasn't that presence I needed to be on the defensive end, and it was a lot of miscommunications. And I take blame for that, and I need to be better."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 10, 2018
Big Al seemed revitalized against Chicago, blocking two shots and playing stellar rotational defense all night. It felt like every time the Bulls took a shot in the paint, Horford was there to make it difficult for them.
Aron Baynes also did a great job walling off the paint, and grabbed 11 rebounds in 18 minutes.
The Celtics managed to clamp up one of the league’s worst rosters tonight. Hopefully, they will be able to build upon this performance and work to become the consistent defensive team they were last year. – Christopher King