Everything you need to know about the Bulls’ 108-85 win over the Celtics in quickie form.
HEADLINES
An offense in disarray without Kyrie: The offense was extremely shorthanded without Kyrie Irving (quad) and Marcus Morris (knee) and it was a problem for the final three quarters of this game. The visitors mustered just 56 points over the final 36 minutes, constantly relying on a 3-point shot that was not going down (5-of-30 in final three quarters). With no go-to scoring option to turn to for a comeback, a career night from Bobby Portis (23 points) turned this game into a runaway by the fourth quarter.
First blowout loss of the season: This was the first game of the season that the Celtics lost by more than 10 points and did not have a legitimate chance to win the contest in the final few minutes. On the one hand, that’s a pretty impressive feat 29 games into the season, given all the injuries this team has dealt with. On the other hand, losing to the NBA’s worst team by 23 points is not a good look no matter who is on the court. The Celtics looked tired, lacked energy on defense and that’s not a good sign with three games looming in the next five days.
TURNING POINT
The Bulls erupted in the first half of the second quarter with a 24-2 run against a depleted Celtics second unit. Portis abused Aron Baynes on the perimeter with his outside shot, while the C’s repeatedly lost 3-point shooters in transition and couldn’t muster any consistent offense on a unit with lackluster scoring pieces like Shane Larkin and Abdel Nader. The Bulls led by double digits for the rest of the game as the Celtics’ offense was never able to make up the ground lost during this run.
TWO UP
Jaylen Brown: He ditched the goggles in the second quarter and was one of the few starters that was knocking down jumpers consistently, which helped to keep the game respectable until the fourth quarter. He scored 13 points and was 3-of-7 from 3-point range.
Kyrie Irving: The All-Star point guard has been in the MVP conversation for his stellar play over the past few weeks. He’s not going to win it this year, but he’s definitely strengthening his case for a spot in the top-5 with the way the Celtics looked offensively without him against one of the league’s worst teams. The visitors simply had no one to create without him and guys didn’t get the usual open looks they’re accustomed to without the attention he drew.
TWO DOWN
Jayson Tatum: The rookie is human after all. On a night where the Celtics desperately needed an offensive spark, the 19-year-old was nowhere to be found. He only got limited opportunities early (two shots in the first 18 minutes) and then missed his open looks from beyond the arc (0-of-4) which the ball got to him. His teammates need to be more aggressive in finding him, but the No. 3 overall pick choose a bad night for his worst offensive outing of the year (4 points).
All-bench unit: Brad Stevens didn’t really have much of a choice but to roll with this group in the second quarter with a depleted lineup on the second end of a back-to-back but they were horrendous on both ends. The offensive struggles are no surprise with this group, but the lack of defensive intensity during the 24-2 run put the Celtics in a hole they couldn’t dig out of.
TOP PLAY
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— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 12, 2017