BSJ Game Report: Celtics 115, Bulls 101 - Simons heater, Celtics hustle drops Bulls

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

IN A NUTSHELL

Neither team shot well in the first quarter, but Boston scored off turnovers and built a 17-point lead. The lead got to 23 despite the gross basketball continuing into halftime. Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons both got hot to carry the third, and Simons kept his roll going to keep the lead at a manageable level the rest of the way despite a late Bulls run.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Winning ugly: They don’t pay the guys to make ‘em pretty, they just pay them to win. The Celtics couldn't hit a thing for most of the night, they looked disjointed, and Jaylen Brown had a stinker, but the Bulls were somehow worse. Boston relied on defense and rebounding to get the job done until the offense came around.

- Simons goes off: He finished the night with 27 points, all in the second half. He went on a heater to end all heaters, shooting 8-11 from 3, which helped build a huge lead and hold off the Bulls when they got frisky late in the game.

- Moving up in the East: The Pistons beat the Knicks, so the Celtics have now moved a half game ahead of New York into the second seed. I’ll throw in my standard caveat of it not being late enough in the season to care TOO much, but also any time spend in second is kind of incredible considering the expectations.

TURNING POINT 

The Celtics whipped off a 25-5 run in the first quarter to build a 17-point lead. The Bulls made a late run, but they never got the lead below double digits again. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Doing the little things: The Celtics couldn't shoot, but they hit the boards for 20 offensive rebounds and 26 second-chance points. At the same time, they held the Bulls to just six ORebs and 12 second chances. They turned the Bulls over 13 times for 19 points while protecting the ball themselves. 

- Payton Pritchard: He hit his buzzer beater to end the first half and started nodding and smirking like he found something.

He then came out in the third and put up 11 points. Most of those came early on in the third. He finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He shot 4-7 from 3.  

- Anfernee Simons: He took the baton from Pritchard and closed the third on fire, finishing it with 12. He carried that over into the fourth, where he scored 15 more. He finished the game 8-14 from 3

“He’s a hell of a ballplayer and he can figure it out,” Pritchard said. “He can play on any team with the way he can create for himself and create for others or play off the ball, so he’s a complete ball player and you guys see it every night.”

- Neemias Queta: 13 points and 13 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end. He was a key to the Celtics early second chances that built the lead. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- This game, in general: When aliens land on Earth (or when we’re officially told about it anyway), this is not the game to show them to explain what basketball is. The players should have spent halftime writing apology notes to everyone in attendance. We are all worse for having watched this game.

- Jaylen Brown: He followed up one of the best games of his life with one of his worst. He hit a couple of shots late to make the stat line look better, which is saying a lot about a 14-point night. He shot 6-24, but he did do other things. He had eight rebounds and four assists, and even though he pressed a little, I didn’t think he went overboard trying to do TOO much. He just couldn't find his shot.

- Derrick White: He’s in the same boat as Brown, shooting 3-15 (1-10 3pt), but grabbing six rebounds, dishing seven assists, and coming up with three steals and a block. He just couldn't find the range. 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- This is a better win than we think. 

There isn’t a ton to take from this game, but what makes it a good win, to me, is that they had to fight through a lot of the fatigue and human nature stuff that makes this game so difficult to win. 

Everyone in the building knew the first game back from a western swing would be tough. The Celtics tried to mitigate that by letting the guys sleep in LA after the Clippers game and then flying home yesterday, but fatigue is fatigue.

But even when their legs weren’t in their shots, they still managed to get to the loose balls. They won most of the 50/50 balls and gave themselves extra chances, taking 18 more shots than the Bulls. Chicago shot better than the Celtics overall, but Boston made more shots because they had more chances. 

So I’m giving them credit for fighting through the fatigue and not letting the misses take away from the rest of their games. It’s nice to see a team respond like that when so many just chalk this up as a loss and move on. 

Next Up: The Celtics' home stand continues against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night.