Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 111-104 win over the Bulls in quickie form.
HEADLINES
Greg Monroe and Jaylen Brown have a night: The reserve center became the first center for the Celtics to post a triple-double in 31 years, stuffing the box score with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in just 27 minutes of action. That effort was outshined by Jaylen Brown, however, who scored a career-high 32 points in 29 minutes, which helped push the Celtics past the hapless Bulls and snap a two-game losing streak.
Monroe spins in the lane and scores the and-one bucket! pic.twitter.com/JdC7rmNIQW
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 7, 2018
Rest for some regulars:
With Jayson Tatum and Al Horford getting the night off due to rest, the Celtics were down to 12 active players on their roster, including both of their two-way players and an extra injury exception roster spot (Jonathan Gibson). That led plenty of added opportunities for the rookies in expanded roles. Jabari Bird (15 points) made his impact felt in the biggest way with strong two-way play, while Guerschon Yabusele held his own with the starting five (six points, six rebounds).
Locked into the second seed:
The Raptors beat the Pacers in Toronto on Friday night, which locked the C’s into the second seed in the East officially despite the win. With both the Heat and Wizards losing on Friday night though, there remains no more clarity on which team the Celtics will end up facing in the first round of the East playoffs.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics broke open an 84-84 game with a 15-6 run in the first half of the fourth quarter behind the sharp shooting of new addition Gibson. The 30-year-old journeyman knocked down his first three 3-point attempts in green, fueling the C’s offensive outburst as the starters rested.
TWO UP
Jaylen Brown:
With three of his fellow usual starters sidelined, the second-year guard took advantage of the extra opportunities on the offensive end. He attacked the Bulls’ defense relentlessly in the first quarter, tallying 12 points in just eight minutes on 5-of-6 shooting on his way to a career-high 32 points in only 30 minutes. Brown showed a nice touch from all areas of the floor, tying his career-high in field goals made (11) while setting a new high for 3-pointers made in a game (seven).
Jabari Bird:
The two-way player has only seen limited opportunities in the past few weeks but he took advantage of an expanded role in the offense on Friday night. The second-round pick scored 13 points of his 15 points in just eight first-half minutes, finding several openings within the Bulls’ defense with savvy backdoor cuts and strong finishes around the rim. The rookie tripled his point total (5) for the season over his nine previous appearances.
ONE DOWN
Abdel Nader:
The 24-year-old continues to see spot duty off the bench but struggled against a hapless Bulls team on the defensive end. He lost his man on several occasions, leading to easy Chicago buckets and he also was a non-factor on the offensive end. It’s too late in the year to cut the swingman in all likelihood but he’s not giving Brad Stevens any reason to have confidence in him if spot duty is to emerge during the postseason
TOP PLAY
Jabari Bird hustles back on defense for the huge block! pic.twitter.com/mZ42fzV1Aj
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 7, 2018
ONE TAKE B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Terry Rozier’s ankle seems to be okay:
The fact that the guard played 27 minutes in a meaningless game tonight is definitely encouraging from a big picture perspective. The 24-year-old guard has remained in a bit of a shooting slump (4-of-17 from the field over the last two games) but the team would not be taking any chances with their best point guard remaining on the roster if he wasn’t feeling right. With Shane Larkin looking solid in his return from the flu (six assists), the C’s shorthanded backcourt is finally showing some signs of returning to form, with the healthy pieces they have remaining.