Well after over a week’s hiatus the Celtics returned to action in Chicago against the Bulls, and the number 1 seed in the NBA asserted their dominance over the lacklustre Bulls, as they comfortably won 129-112. Although Boston eventually got the win, it wasn’t plain sailing throughout. In the second quarter the Celtics played some of their worst defence of the year and allowed Chicago to erase a 14-point deficit in just 12 minutes. However, it ultimately came down to the third quarter – where Jayson Tatum absolutely dominated – and helped the Celtics to reinstate a double-digit lead, which eventually led the Celtics 7th straight road win.
Derrick White made the first quarter his on both ends of the floor, he scored 11 points (including two 3-pointers). He also had some fantastic defensive plays, the best of which was back-to-back blocks on Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic and rookie forward Julian Phillips. White’s fantastic play drove the Celtics into a 16-point lead with just eight minutes played. However, Chicago managed to half their deficit by the end of the period, mainly thanks to a few strong plays from Andre Drummond. Drummond finished with 11 points and hauled in 8 rebounds (4 offensive boards) providing the Bulls with some solid frontcourt play off the bench.
Boston really struggled in the second period, after an excellent start. Their biggest issue was their inability to clean up the defensive glass, the Bulls outrebounded the Celtics 13-5 offensively. This plus some lacklustre defence and 4 turnovers allowed Chicago to regain a 3-point lead heading into halftime.
All it took however was one 12-minute stretch for the Celtics to reopen a comfortable 16-point lead. The 3rd quarter belonged entirely to Tatum who spearheaded the Celtics throughout the period, he completely dominated - scoring 15 points in the 3rd – as well as dragging Boston back into the lead. Tatum once again played superbly, he finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds and five assists to carry the Celtics to yet another road win.
The Celtics managed to keep their opponents at a distance for the entirety of the fourth quarter, allowing us Celtics fans to get our first glimpse of Jaden Springer and Xavier Tillman Sr in Celtics’ green. Tillman made a couple of nice plays in the last couple of minutes, including a nice finish at the rim and a great block. In the end the Celtics closed out a 7th straight win, 129-112.
After the game Derrick White commented on the all-star break and the Celtics’ hopes for the rest of the regular season: “I think we were all just ready to get back to it. It’s a big opportunity for us to be playing our best basketball going down the stretch. The break was nice. We’ve just got to pick up where we were and try to keep getting better each day”. Boston will face old rivals – the New York Knicks – at Madison Square Garden next, looking to extend their current winning streak to eight in a row.
By Will C
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