BSJ Game Report: Celtics 123, Bulls 119 - Tatum scores 36 points and halts Bulls comeback

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics' 123-119 win over the Chicago Bulls, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

Jayson Tatum and Malcolm Brogdon overcame an early eight-point deficit to pace the Celtics against DeMar DeRozan and Bulls runs that lasted until the final seconds. The Celtics led by 14 points with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, before Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and DeRozan sent Chicago roaring to within two points with 84 seconds to play.

Tatum scored 36 points with 12 rebounds and six assists, but his offensive rebound chasing down an Al Horford miss, along with a stop on Patrick Williams in the post ahead by only three points on the next possession sealed a much-needed victory. DeRozan pressured Boston all night with 46 points on 13-for-23 shooting while the Celtics' offense held the lead for the entire second half shooting 49.4% and drawing 39 free throws. Brogdon added 25 points and iced the win with three at the stripe. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Tatum as dominant as ever: Tatum spent most of his night in the paint, tearing through Bulls guards and wings for crafty finishes, kick outs to teammates and to draw a career-high 20 free throw attempts. He only turned the ball over once in a high-usage game, finishing 8-for-2 and converting 17 of his free throws after playing off of Al Horford in the early minutes. Tatum fed Grant Williams for a one-handed slam over Vucevic as part of a 24-assist performance for the offense overall. 

"The older I get, I think the more my body develops, the more I'm able to handle contact," Tatum said. "And also just reading when we're in the bonus, time and situation in the game. I think I've gotten a lot better at that over the years." 

Bench shines again: Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, Malcolm Brogdon, Williams and Tatum shined in extended runs, including an important nine minutes between the first and second quarters where the Celtics outscored Chicago by eight points during that stretch. Hauser posted a +19 while scoring eight points on 3-for-6 shooting, Kornet blocked two shots and Grant hit a key pair of fourth-quarter shots. The bench's role in an 11-point second-quarter victory gave Boston some breathing room in a second half where Chicago outscored them, 62-60. The Celtics' bench outscored the Bulls', 41-15. 

“We have a great team and we have a lot of depth, and we can play a lot of different ways," Joe Mazzulla said. "I thought tonight we needed to play with that speed and with that pace and just off-ball, and I thought they were playing connected basketball. That’s the example of what a great team is, to have that type of depth and that versatility.”

TURNING POINT

Tatum fed Horford for a corner three ahead 117-115 after Vucevic hit his third three of the fourth quarter, Smart got his hand on the miss first and Tatum secured it, rising through LaVine for a pair of free throws. He missed the second, giving the Bulls a chance to tie down three points, and Patrick Williams attacked Tatum head-on in the post. Tatum stripped him and threw an outlet pass that LaVine intercepted, but the Celtics rotated back out to Williams in the corner and stopped his potential game-tying three with 22 seconds remaining. 

"Make a play. Try to impact the floor on both ends at all times of the game, especially in those moments," Tatum said. "I know it's crunch time and the game is on the line, but that's the most exciting part of the game and it's not always like score, score, score. It's just make a play. Make a play, get somebody open, score, get a block, get a rebound, hit two free throws. You just want to be a part of it, whatever it is, just making a play." 

TWO UP 

Malcolm Brogdon: In full control leading the second unit with his best performance with the Celtics yet. He converted a pair of three-point finishes in the first half, hit 9-of-10 shots from the field and found Jaylen Brown for a thunderous slam over Vucevic during the first half. Before that, he fell to one knee dribbling at the top of the key, recovered and hit a jump shot. His pair of turnovers in the second half led to transition scores for the Bulls, but he recovered with a baseline jumper and another three-point play spinning past LaVine to protect a six-point lead in the fourth quarter. 

"I'm learning every game. It's going to be a learning process every game," Brogdon said. "Teams play us differently every night, they're really locked on in on J.T. and J.B., but for me it's about playing off of those guys and making the game easier for them, and relieving some of that pressure on them." 

Jayson Tatum: He provided passing, rebounding, scoring, downhill pressure on the Bulls' defense and resistance on their offense. Tatum continues to play at an MVP level, and made key crunch time plays to secure a victory while drawing free throws at a rate he never has in the NBA before. This is among his greatest games, and built on a game in Cleveland where he tied the game to force overtime and recorded three blocks.

“(Tatum) just played on both ends of the floor," Mazzulla said. "Made the right play, whether it was to shoot, to screen, to pass, to rebound. I thought he set the tone and I thought all our guys did a great job making winning plays down the stretch. To become a great team, you have to have great players and those players have to make plays, and I thought (Tatum) did that, and I thought the whole team did that. (Derrick) White’s three was huge from (Jaylen Brown), (Tatum's) offensive rebound was huge and they just played the right way.”

TWO DOWN 

Jaylen Brown: Brown's pass to White in the fourth quarter helped save the game and his dunk over Vucevic set off the crowd. Otherwise, his ball control remains a work in progress and perhaps even behind where it stood in past seasons. He missed all three attempts from deep, turned the ball over three times and got himself stuck on other possessions, a trend with him early this season. Brown's rim and transition pressure remains a stressor on defenses, but wasn't enough to prevent Tatum from seeing some double team's during Friday's win. 

Brown entered the night questionable to play with a non-COVID illness. 

Derrick White: A quiet night offensively filled with his signature small plays that drive victories. Chicago's bigs targeted him, though, and he finished -10 with four fouls. His late aforementioned three as well as a second half charge take on DeRozan salvaged a good performance, along with marking his seventh straight game with a make from deep. White, like Brown, can play better than he did on Friday. 

TOP PLAYS

TAKES MANNING WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

-Consider me a believer in this bench run

Mazzulla played Hauser for 18 minutes, his second-highest total all season, while Kornet added 14, blocking shots, deflecting passes and filling the lane while picking up shooters higher to stop a few Alex Caruso attempts. The Celtics have played well with Tatum off the floor, but tonight showed they can pair him with Brogdon and the second unit to extend leads on certain nights, rather than just playing even. The second unit lost its second-half stretch, but made more progress in proving it can be a viable unit on most nights. Hauser is now shooting 12-for-21 from three. Tatum praised Hauser's ability to play basketball beyond his shooting, noting a play where he found Kornet to force free throws. Boston is outscoring opponents 205-184 (+21) with Tatum off the floor, and are only -3 with both Brown and Tatum sitting. 

"I thought it was unacceptable how we came out when we were in Chicago," Brogdon said of the bench effort. "First team came out and played great, played a great first 7-8 minutes, and we came out really laid an egg. So I did not want to repeat that, especially against this Chicago team that's a really good team that we're going to have to play, most definitely, in the playoffs as well. So I want us to be prepared and learn how to beat this team and beat good teams down the stretch." 

-Playing offense-defense Brogdon, White and Smart in crunch time looks like an answer 

The Celtics played with guard combinations in crunch time, albeit due to Smart picking up a fifth foul with 6:23 left in the fourth. White and Brogdon played together in the back court and scored eight straight points to stave off Chicago's late comeback attempt. Smart returned with 1:06 remaining in place of White, helping Tatum secure his game-saving offensive rebound. With how much Brogdon sacrificed coming off the bench, Smart should be amicable to sitting in certain crunch times when Mazzulla sees it as fit and Friday provided an example of what swapping offense and defense late could allow. Brogdon finished with a season-high 28 minutes. His 28 fourth quarter minutes lead the Celtics' guards this season, followed by White (18) and Smart (11). 

"I'm comfortable finishing games," Brogdon said. "I've really been doing it my whole career. When I was in Milwaukee, I was finishing games. When I was Indiana, the ball was in my hands and I was finishing games, but now it's really the big stage and I'm playing with great players that definitely helped me close the game out. My job when I'm on the floor at the end of games is to keep us organized and to get the ball into J.B. and J.T.'s hands and help them create advantages to close the game out."