BSJ Game Report: Celtics 129, Bulls 112 - C's 3-point shooting carries them past Chicago

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

IN A NUTSHELL

Derrick White was a first quarter monster on both ends, scoring 12 while blocking three shots, but a late Bulls run cut the lead from 16 to eight heading into the second. Boston’s defense took the second quarter off, giving up 39 points and the lead, heading into the half down three. Jayson Tatum woke up and dropped 15 in the third to push the lead back out to 14. It got up to 21 at one point, and Boston cruised from there for their seventh straight win.

HEADLINES

- Team effort: White was a monster in the first, Jaylen Brown took over late in the second, and Tatum had a huge third quarter. Hey let’s throw in the Luke Kornet early fourth quarter takeover and we can really turn this into a real team effort. This is the power of the Celtics. Tatum was off in the first and Kristaps Porzingis had a tough offensive night and they still found ways to score and win comfortably. 

- White’s All-Defensive push: This guy has to make an All-Defensive team this season. His first quarter was ridiculous with the three blocks and a steal. 

- Big response: The Celtics were awful in the second quarter, giving up 39 points but then came back to allow only 21 in the third quarter. They won that third quarter by 16 points. 

“It’s about managing runs and how they get their runs,” Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “They get them off offensive rebounds. They get them in transition off turnovers and empty possessions. … (It’s about) how can we manage those lulls and those runs throughout a game.” 

Boston did that with a barrage of 3-pointers, going 23-47 overall from 3. Everyone shot well except for Kristaps Porzingis, who was 2-9. Take him out of the mix and the rest of the team shot 21-38 from deep. 

TURNING POINT

Boston started the third quarter on an 8-0 run that extended to a 27-10 run, which turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 14-point advantage halfway through the quarter. 

THINGS I LIKED

- White’s start: That first quarter was perfection out of White. He set the tone on both ends, blocking Nikola Vucevic twice. One of them was off the help, which is expected. The second was straight up, which is so tough to do for players of equal size. For a guard to do that to a big? That's damn near impossible. 

- Jaylen Brown: I was afraid he’d come in a little sluggish off the break but he was ready to play. His late second quarter surge was very important to help keep Boston afloat in a bad quarter. And when he did make a mistake, like a late-game turnover, he made up for it like this: 

- Tatum’s second half: Now HE looked sluggish off the break, but his third quarter was just what Boston needed. He dropped 15 points on 5-8 shooting in the quarter (3-5 3pt), and added three assists, two rebounds, and a steal. 

- Whatever this was from Luke Kornet: 

The man loves his celebrations. And after 10 points, mostly off four offensive rebounds, he can celebrate all he wants. 

- Math: Chicago hit 34 2-pointers to Boston’s 22, a 24-point difference. Boston hit 23 3-pointers to Chicago’s 10, a 39-point difference. Tack on two more free throw makes and there's your 17-point win. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Kristaps Porzingis: Tough night for him with just 14 points on 5-16 shooting. He did have three blocks, so he wasn’t completely off. 

- The second quarter: They just stopped playing defense in the second. Giving up 39 points to the Bulls is outrageous, but if there's one area where they will hurt teams is getting out in transition and second-chance points. Allowing that is mostly effort. 

- Kornet elbowing Sam Hauser: It was completely by accident, but about a year after Tatum broke Brown’s face with an accidental elbow, it’s unsettling to see another friendly fire incident. At least it seems like Hauser came out of it with just some bruising and swelling and nothing more. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Bad quarters aren’t killers anymore.

It used to be that a bad quarter would derail the Celtics. One of their biggest issues of the past was falling apart and staying in pieces. 

Nowadays, they have their struggles in games, but they can pull out of it. 

“I think their basketball IQ as a team is really growing amongst each other,” Mazzulla said. “The internal communication between the guys, and then they have an understanding of why things aren't going well and when they are, and they can quickly get back to that with really good execution. I thought we had some really good execution there throughout the third quarter and most of the fourth. And defensively, they had the ability to stay connected. So I think a lot of it comes from that.”

It’s an important progression for Boston. They rarely have extended stretches of poor play, even when they have an excuse. They aren’t letting a rough patch become a rough game very often. 

- Derrick White is one of the league’s smartest players.

Brian Scalabrine said he’s never seen a guard block a big straight-up like White blocked Vucevic, and neither have I. Again, that's hard for guys of equal size to do. 

So how did White block that shot? With his brain.

“I know he kind of likes that little quick little hook shot,” White explained. “So he probably didn't expect me to jump or to react that quick.”

White’s basketball IQ is off the charts. That's what makes him so damn good. He continues to be very impressive. 

Next up: Boston travels to New York for an 8:30 game on ABC