BOSTON -- It was a tale of two halves on Friday night. The Boston Celtics absolutely steamrolled the Chicago Bulls in the first two quarters. It was their first NBA Cup game of the season. However, they looked like a different team in the second half.
Chicago didn't score enough to make a real comeback. The Bulls just don't have the talent. But the Celtics played some pretty ugly basketball.
Still, big scoring nights from Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard were enough to get the job done. The foul-happy ref show in the fourth quarter just hurt the game's ratings.
The Celtics walked out of the arena with a 125-111 victory on Friday night. But it wasn't exactly an inspiring performance. The second half wasn't, at least.
Up: Payton Pritchard
Is it notable that Payton Pritchard's best two games of the season thus far have come against the Chicago Bulls? Absolutely. Does that change how good he looked on Friday night? Not at all.
Pritchard cooled off as the game went on, but he was cooking in the first half. It was the classic Pritchard burner. Shot after shot, he dominated the Bulls.
But he also managed to make an impact in other areas of the game. A big-time offensive rebound here. A nifty dime there. Pritchard reached flow state in the first half.
Again, it didn't last. And maybe that's what the Celtics need to see him improve upon. That said, it was still a good sign to see Pritchard find a rhythm.
He ended the game with 30 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals while shooting 9-of-17 from the field and 3-of-9 from distance. Pritchard also went 9-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Down: Defensive rebounding
Chicago played terribly. The Bulls may end up being the worst team in the Eastern Conference this year. Yet they still managed to get an advantage over the Celtics on the glass.
Boston looked pitiful on the glass. By the end of the third quarter, Chicago had already corralled 17 offensive rebounds to the Celtics' eight.
For the most part, it was the only thing keeping Chicago's offense alive. Without it, the Celtics may have been up by 50 points after the first half. It was a terrible effort on the defensive glass.
Up: Jayson Tatum's shot selection
There were some pull-up threes. There always will be. But as this season progresses, Jayson Tatum's shot selection continues to improve. It's been one of the most interesting on-court storylines so far.
Rather than settling for step-back threes right away, Tatum is making more of an effort to get downhill. It's clear that the first option on his mind is getting to the rim, or maybe even the mid-range.
Again, he's going to take threes. But getting himself in a rhythm first is important. And the Celtics are trying to help him out, too.
To open this game, Tatum got a layup. An off-ball layup. Boston is giving him more and more opportunities to score without being the primary ball-handler. It's doing wonders for his shot profile.
Tatum ended his night with 26 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 9-of-20 from the field, 2-of-7 from deep range, and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Down: Mitchell Robinson
Boston is still awaiting the breakout game from starting center Mitchell Robinson. The Celtics inked him to a three-year, $47.4 million contract this summer, and the early returns have been less than ideal.
Friday night was only the fifth game of the season. Robinson has plenty of time to figure things out. But right now, he just looks out of shape. It's as simple as that.
Robinson is lagging up and down the court. He's not in the right spots. He's struggling to catch passes, especially around the rim. Nothing looks like it's coming naturally.
Up: Paul George
Some of the shots weren't ideal. Paul George wasn't super efficient on Friday night. But the way he moves and his feel for the game are extremely impressive.
Whether he's anticipating a pass and getting the steal or finding an open teammate out of thin air, George seemingly knows what the opponents (and his teammates) are going to do before they do.
It's early. Just like Robinson has time to turn things around, we need a larger sample size before truly assessing George. But he's been incredible in a Celtics uniform so far.
Down: Third quarter
All of the Celtics' biggest problems on Friday night culminated in the third quarter. After a dominant first half, Boston came out of the locker room sloppy. Chicago made a small dent in the Celtics' lead.
Turnovers were thrown all over the court. Boston struggled to get rebounds to close out possessions. The offense looked stagnant -- and that continued throughout the second half.
A better team would have seriously pushed the Celtics. Made a legitimate comeback. But the Bulls are not that team.
Bonus
Neemias Queta also looked pretty rough in this game. He really struggled on the glass. At one point in the second half, Norman Powell ripped a rebound out of his hands.
He got to the line early in the game (ending 7-of-10 from the charity stripe), but the rebounding that Queta showed off last season wasn't there. He and Robinson both need to be much better on the glass.
The Celtics' fouling was also a huge problem. They committed way too many unnecessary fouls. Shooting fouls, rebounding fouls, fouling 3-point shooters. Boston did it all.
I highlighted the third quarter, but the entire second half was a tough watch. Boston looked like a completely different team. No flow. No organization. No discipline. This game should have been sunshine and rainbows. But the Celtics didn't allow that to happen.
On a slightly more positive note, Baylor Scheierman looked good in his minutes. Put the ball on the floor well. Was moving the rock. Great on the glass (amidst a sea of bad Celtics rebounders).