On Thursday night, the Chicago Bulls were in town for a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. It’s the second time the two sides have faced off against each other this season, and the third will be on Saturday in Chicago. A big fourth-quarter surge from Payton Pritchard earned Boston a win in their first matchup, but Thursday night was tight.
The Bulls went toe-to-toe with the reigning champions, trying to beat them at their own game—with a high three-point volume. Chicago was getting up a ton of threes, and in the final frame, they were getting to the rim at will, too. The game was scarily neck-and-neck for most of the evening, and a flurry of techs ended the night for Boston. The Bulls earned a 117-108 win.
Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics’ win over the Bulls on Thursday night.
Stud - Derrick White
Some things never change. A few days off didn’t change the fact that Derrick White is one of the most consistent players in the league. He was awesome on Thursday night against the Bulls.
The three-point shot was there for White, and he was doing a nice job of setting up his teammates, too. White even got involved in the glass, pulling in a bunch of boards.
His night was highlighted by a crazy snatch block early in the third quarter. Patrick Williams went up for an ill-advised layup while backing down White, and the Celtics guard picked the ball clean out of the air.
Though it wasn’t his most efficient performance, and he went cold from three in the second half, White still churned out a quality all-around showing for Boston, and this was yet another solid two-way performance for him.
Dud - Jaylen Brown
The Celtics’ offense struggled for long stretches of the game on Thursday, and while nobody played too poorly, Jaylen Brown has certainly had better games.
Though Brown’s playmaking still managed to shine through, his scoring wasn’t there against the Bulls, and his defense really trailed off in the fourth quarter. Scoring-wise, he just couldn’t find a rhythm, whether it was inside the arc or behind it.
By no means was this Brown’s game of the season, but he just missed the mark from an efficiency standpoint.
Stud - Jayson Tatum
Chicago got the full Jayson Tatum experience on Thursday, and that’s not something they were hoping for. He was everywhere for Boston, and on both ends of the floor, too.
Tatum did a great job of getting to the hoop at will, completely stun-locking Chicago’s defense. He crossed up Williams so badly that he got a wide-open dunk (and sent the Bulls forward flying).
The threes were falling at a decent rate for Tatum, too, and his defensive versatility was on full display. He was able to guard everyone from Coby White to Nikola Vucevic for stretches.
This may not be the first game people think of when trying to find a Tatum masterclass, but he was very impressive on Thursday night.
Dud - Guarding Zach LaVine
This was an absolutely monster game for Zach LaVine, especially in the first half. The Bulls star was getting to wherever he wanted on the court, and the Celtics just didn’t do a good enough job of containing him.
Whether he was pulling up from three, getting catch-and-shoot looks, or breaking down the defense for a great look at the rim (or a great look for a teammate), Boston always seemed a step behind the former Dunk Contest champion.
His scoring kept the Bulls in this one for most of the night, and the rest of his squad fell right in line. It was simply a stellar performance for LaVine, and the Celtics failed to contain him.
Stud - Kristaps Porzingis
At first glance, Kristaps Porzingis’ efficiency may not be the most impressive thing in the world. But he was extremely impactful in this game on both ends of the court.
Offensively, he was a menace. If the Bulls switched a smaller defender onto him, it was all over. He would either find a pass to an open shooter, get a good look, or get himself to the free-throw line.
And on the defensive end, he was doing a little bit of everything. Whether it was deflecting passes or contesting shots at the rim, Chicago had a hard time getting inside with him trolling the paint.
Porzingis even sent Ayo Dosunmu to the floor with an insane block late in the third quarter.
The Latvian big man was awesome in this game, despite initially being listed as questionable due to a heel injury.
Dud - Threes
This Celtics squad is the best three-point shooting team of all time. Well, they take the most, and they are getting historically large advantages from beyond the arc. But this game was different.
For as great as the Celtics are at shooting threes, the Bulls have also been an impressive team from distance this year. And on Thursday night, they challenged the Celtics to a game of Celtics basketball.
Chicago stuck with Boston three for three, and they were breaking down the defense in the same manner that the Celtics have.
They weren’t extremely efficient, but they were jacking up just as many threes as Boston was. And for most of the night, they had more attempts. They were even crashing well from the corners on threes, which the Celtics have done very well this year.
The Bulls have been as good as anyone at matching the Celtics three-point pace. Thursday night, they proved that once again, and Boston didn’t do enough to stop it.