BSJ Game Report: Celtics 107, Bulls 99 - Tatum drops 32, C's grind out win over Chicago

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over the Chicago Bulls, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics didn't lead wire to wire, but they led for most of the game. Robert Williams started and made an instant impact, the Bulls made a run late in the first quarter and into the second, which was answered when Williams re-entered the game. Jayson Tatum caught fire in the third quarter and the Bulls lost DeMar DeRozan to a quad strain, but they still had enough to make multiple fourth-quarter runs, getting it down to 2 in the final minute. Al Horford hit a huge 3-pointer to seal the win.

Box Score

HEADLINES

Grinding out a win: The Bulls give Boston problems. You can look at this from a glass-half-empty point of view and say if the Bulls had DeRozan for the whole game or if they weren’t playing their third game in four nights, they might have beaten the Celtics. But also, if he had been playing, do Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic get the shot they did to make it close? And the Celtics didn’t have Marcus Smart. 

In the end, they found a way to win, even if they were their own worst enemy in stretches late in the fourth 

“I thought this was one of our better wins and more complete wins because of our mindset and our toughness,” Joe Mazzulla said “Regardless of the result, on either end of the floor, we kept a certain body language and certain focus about us, a togetherness, a commitment to the details, and it was really fun to watch the guys do that. And so, I think that’s what helped us win the game.”

Robert Williams makes a difference: Before the game I wrote “I’d love to see Robert Williams out there against that starting unit. I’m not sure what he’s medically cleared to do, so I’m not saying this in terms of more minutes, but I would like to see him in more impactful parts of the game. With Smart out, This is a clear opportunity to slide Rob into the starting lineup.” 

Well, that's exactly what happened. He started but still only played about 23 minutes, so Mazzulla was more strategic about how those minutes were dispersed. He made an impact in his minutes, hustling and keeping plays alive. It’s safe to say the guys like having him back. 

“(He takes) a lot of pressure off me, off all of us,” Horford said. “He's kind of like that blanket, we just kinda rely on him and his activity and energy. I just really enjoy playing alongside him. I was glad that he was able to get a start tonight and we can continue to build that chemistry.” 

Defensive stops: The defense wasn’t great. Chicago only scored 99 points but they missed a lot of layups. However, when the Celtics needed stops late in the game, they got them. LaVine got blistering hot and hit some contested shots, but the Celtics were able to do just enough defensively to get the job done. 

Congratulations Grande & Max: Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell called their 2,000th Celtics game tonight. That's incredible. Congratulations to them both. 

TURNING POINT

I wanted so much for it to be a previous sequence that answered a Bulls 9-0 run with two blocked shots and a steal on the defensive end and two layups and a dunk plus a foul on the other end, which made it a 12 point game with 5:33 to go but LaVine and Vucevic had to spoil that and make it a 2 point game again. So the actual turning point was Tatum finding Al Horford for the game-clinching 3-pointer with 25 seconds left. 

Whew… that thing had second thoughts and almost left Horford at the altar. Horford is shooting 55% from the right corner this season, leading the NBA in scoring from that particular spot on the floor. 

THREE UP

Jayson Tatum: 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists for Tatum. He had 3 assists in the fourth quarter, including the one to Horford in the right corner. 

“Just a simple pass to Al,” Tatum said. “Trusting your teammate in those situations is all about just making the right play, whether that’s for somebody else or for myself. Credit to Al, that’s a big-time shot that kind of sealed the game.”

Grant Williams: He dropped 20 points off the bench, a much-needed spark. He had 9 fourth-quarter points on 50% shooting to go along with 4 rebounds (2 offensive) to help hold off the Bulls. He also blocked a shot. 

Robert Williams: The box score isn’t gaudy, but it was obvious early on that good things happened when he was on the floor and Chicago enjoyed their path to the rim a lot more when he was off it. 

ONE DOWN

Jaylen Brown: 19 points on 7-21 shooting and 0-8 from 3. He had a great stretch in the fourth, one that I wished I could call the turning point. In fact, I could split his game in two and say when he played good basketball he was great, and when he was too focused on his own game, he didn’t. 

TOP PLAYS

ONE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- The lineups are a work in progress again, so expect some rocky times

I don’t know how much the return of Robert Williams to the starting lineup and the absence of Smart had to do with all of this, but it’s interesting to see how guys are shifting around minutes-wise. 

Brown had been playing nearly full first quarters and Tatum typically would get subbed out at the 6:00 mark or so. Today was the second time the Celtics decided to flip that, so the second quarter started with Brown on the floor instead of Tatum. 

Mazzulla also did this in the Dallas game, which is curious. I don’t know why he has changed things, but whenever that happens you can expect a little bit of turbulence, especially if Robert Williams is back in a starting role. 

Maybe Mazzulla heard Tatum after the Spurs game saying he wants to play with Rob as much as possible, or maybe this is just a one-off against a specific matchup. It’s something to watch for, though, as we see how this group adjusts to adding a player like Williams back into the mix. 

“I don’t think it will change it too much,” Mazzulla said. “When he was out, we were able to form an identity of just playing a certain way, and I think having him allows us to do that even more once we get acclimated with him … I think he’ll fit right in if not make it better.”

I don’t have any doubt about that, but a rotation change in addition to a lineup change can make things a little tough offensively until they figure everything out. 

Next up: The Celtics host the New Orleans Pelicans (without the injured Zion Williamson) on Wednesday night