Jaylen Brown posted a career-high 32 points and Greg Monroe was the first Celtic center to post a triple-double in over 20 years, helping the Celtics pull out a 111-104 win over the Bulls at the TD Garden on Friday night. Rest was the main priority for the Celtics in the matchup as Al Horford and Jayson Tatum were given the night off, while no regulars played more than 30 minutes.
Those limitations did not stop Brown and Monroe from putting on a show, however. Brown posted career highs in field goals made, 3-point field goals and points in just 30 minutes of action, while Monroe posted 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to help the Celtics dispatch the lowly Bulls with six of their usual rotation players. Jabari Bird also added a career-high 15 points in an eye-opening performance from the rookie.
A Raptors' win has locked the C's into second seed in the East, despite the victory for Boston, which makes the final three games of the regular season meaningless for them for seeding purposes.
GAME: No. 79 of 82
WHO: Celtics (53-25) vs. Bulls (27-51)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: TD Garden
RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston
Celtics
PG: Terry Rozier
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Marcus Morris
PF: Guerschon Yabusele
C: Aron Baynes
Bulls
PG: Cameron Payne
SG: David Nwaba
F: Justin Holiday
F: Lauri Markkanen
C: Cristiano Felicio
First Half Notes
- With three of his fellow usual starters sidelined, Jaylen Brown 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. Brown showed a nice tough from all areas of the floor, including a pretty turnaround in the post and a corner 3-pointer.
- Jabari Bird, a two-way player, has only seen limited opportunities in the past few weeks but he took advantage of an expanded role within the offense on Friday night. The second-round pick scored 13 points in just eight first half minutes, finding several openings within the Bulls’ defense with savvy backdoor cuts and strong finishes around the rim. That first half output doubled his point total (5) for the season over his nine previous appearances.
- Nader 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 but he’s not showing a chance.
- A couple nice blocks by Guerschon Yabusele down low in the first half. He continually bring some nice energy on both ends, even if he isn't in the right spot enough on defense.
- Felt a bit like a pick up games at times with the lack of defense being played on both sides.
- Shane Larkin with a quiet line (0 points, 0 shot attempts, three assists) in his first game back from the flu.
- Greg Monroe with a team0high six assits in the first half.
- Jayson Tatum and Al Horford will not dress tonight due to rest. Shane Larkin is expected to be available off the bench but will have a minutes restriction as he recovers from flu-like symptoms.
- Jonathan Gibson is active after signing a 10-day contract with the team on Friday. He should see some minutes off a short-handed bench.
- The Celtics will only have 11 active players for the game despite being granted an injury exception for an 18th roster spot.
- A Celtics loss or a Raptors win on Friday night will officially lock the Celtics into the second seed in the Eastern Conference.