Post Game - Celtics vs. Bulls - Tuesday, November 28 (W)

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401584141

What a well-played game! So much passing. Such great play by Jaylen. Sam dunking. Jrue defending and assisting. Al doing everything. Jayson finding the open man. +27 points to get us into the tourney. Wow. Wow.

Celtics-Bulls takeaways: C's win big to advance in NBA In-Season Tournament

https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-bulls-takeaways-cs-win-032205223.html

Justin Leger
Tue, Nov 28, 2023, 10:27 PM EST·4 min read




Celtics-Bulls takeaways: C's win big to advance in NBA In-Season Tournament originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Three Key Storylines

The Jays dominate
C's backcourt shines
Still alive in In-Season Tournament

Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Bulls erased all doubts about the Boston Celtics taking the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament seriously.

The Celtics needed to win by 23 points to have a chance of winning Group C. They led by as many as 35 in the fourth quarter and didn't let their foot off the gas. Coach Joe Mazzulla left his starters in the game with the trip to the knockout stage of the tournament at stake, and Boston went on to earn a 124-97 victory.

Even with the 27-point win, the C's In-Season Tournament hopes still relied on the Brooklyn Nets beating the Toronto Raptors. Fortunately, the Nets helped out with a 115-103 win to send Boston to the quarterfinals.

Jaylen Brown (30 points) and Jayson Tatum (21 points) starred for a Celtics team that shot a scorching 52.2 percent (47-90) from the floor and 42.9 percent (21-49) from 3-point range. Their 21 made 3-pointers marked a season-high. Al Horford had another outstanding night with 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and two steals in place of the injured Kristaps Porzingis in the starting lineup.

The Celtics will enjoy a couple of days off before hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. Before we turn the page to that marquee matchup, here are our takeaways from Tuesday's game.

The Jays lead the way

The C's asserted their dominance early and often with help from their two superstars.

Chicago had no answer for Jaylen Brown throughout the first half. The two-time All-Star started off hot with nine points (three 3-pointers) in the first quarter and entered the half with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting.



Brown was equally impressive in the second half and played a key role in the Celtics eclipsing that 23-point target. He tallied 14 more points in the final two frames to finish with a game-high of 30 on 12-of-23 shooting. In addition, he was a team-best +22 while notching eight rebounds and six assists.

Tatum took a backseat to Brown in the scoring department but was just as effective. He ended up with 21 points -- the second-highest total of the night -- on 8-of-16 shooting (2-8 3-PT). He added seven rebounds and four assists to help the C's take care of business vs. Chicago.



Big night for C's backcourt

Jrue Holiday returned the the Celtics' starting lineup after missing Sunday's game with an ankle injury. Boston's prized offseason acquisition didn't appear to be hampered by the ailment on Tuesday night.

Holiday quickly made his presence felt with 11 points and six assists in the first half. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field through the first two frames, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Per usual, Holiday's impact was felt far beyond his scoring. The veteran guard again flirted with a triple-double, finishing with nine assists and seven rebounds to go with his 14 points.

Derrick White and Payton Pritchard joined Holiday in putting together an exceptional night for the Celtics backcourt. Like Holiday, White was red-hot in the first half with 10 points (4-4 FG, 2-2 3-PT) and six assists. He matched Holiday's 14 points for the game while dishing seven assists and adding two steals.

Pritchard contributed 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting (3-7 3-PT) off the bench. He added five rebounds, two assists, and a steal in his productive 23 minutes on the court.



On to the knockout stage

The Celtics' 27-point win over the Bulls, and the Nets' victory over the Raptors, will propel Boston to the knockout stage of the In-Season Tournament.

That means the No. 3 seed C's will face the No. 2 Indiana Pacers for their quarterfinal matchup in Indianapolis either Monday or Tuesday next week. The New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks will face off on the other side of the Eastern Conference bracket.

The knockout stage will include eight teams vying for the first-ever NBA Cup. The field for the single-elimination round will consist of the six Group Stage winners and two wild-card teams.



My comment:  They are using Instagram instead of Twitter for videos in the article, so I hope the links work.

They display kind of small, so click on the link to go to the article to see bigger videos.

From another perspective:


10 observations: Bulls drop 5th straight in blowout loss to Celtics

https://sports.yahoo.com/10-observations-bulls-drop-5th-024209595.html

K.C. Johnson
Tue, Nov 28, 2023, 9:42 PM EST·4 min read

10 observations: Bulls drop 5th straight in blowout loss to Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

BOSTON --- The Chicago Bulls lost for the fifth straight time and for the eighth time in nine games when the Boston Celtics prevailed 124-97 on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

Here are 10 observations from the defeat:

---Zach LaVine endured a forgettable night. He missed his first six shots and didn’t score until 17.7 seconds remained in the first half. The Celtics even won a challenge at the 5 minute, 33 second mark of the second quarter when officials overturned a foul call on Jaylen Brown on a driving LaVine. LaVine did have four assists at halftime but then exited the game for good at the 5:32 mark of the third with right foot soreness. LaVine sat out the Oklahoma City loss that started this trip with the same injury. LaVine finished 1-for-9 for two points. Obviously, the Bulls need him to starting finding his shooting form. He entered shooting 45.3 percent overall and 34.4 percent from 3-point range, both below his career percentages.

---The injury news didn't stop there. DeMar DeRozan crashed hard to the ground during the third quarter after getting fouled and winced throughout several possessions afterward. He ultimately checked out at the 6:02 mark of the third and didn't return with a sore left ankle. DeRozan finished with 19 points and six assists.

---Alex Caruso returned after missing one game with a strained left toe. But coach Billy Donovan still started Patrick Williams. The move had several layers to it. For starters, Williams played well in Toronto and Brooklyn and any momentum is good momentum for a player so critical to the franchise’s future. It also allowed Williams to match up with Jayson Tatum initially, placing more size on the Celtics’ 6-foot-8-inch superstar. And it placed Caruso back in a situation where the team can more readily control his minutes. Caruso almost always ends up in closing lineups but only plays one speed.

---The Celtics needed to beat the Bulls by at least 23 points and get some help to win Group C for the In-Season Tournament. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White both were listed as questionable but started, an indication of how focused the Celtics were on winning. DeMar DeRozan took exception to Pascal Siakam taking a late shot in the Bulls’ loss to the Raptors. But point differential, and perhaps some breaches of sportsmanship, will be the new norm with the In-Season Tournament. In fact, Donovan fielded a question about it pregame. And then Donovan had two in-game discussions with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla when Mazzulla instructed his players to intentionally foul Andre Drummond in the fourth quarter with the Celtics leading by 30 points.

---The Bulls, by the way, finished 0-4 in tournament play.

---After starting quickly in Brooklyn and leading by 21 points, the Bulls reverted to their first-quarter woes. They trailed by double digits for the fifth time in 19 games and only scored 20 points.

---The Bulls allowed 69 first-half points and 65 percent shooting before halftime. Both represented opponent season-highs. The Bulls entered the game ranked 21st in defensive rating and the issues are widespread. From poor communication to poor rotations to fouling too much, the Bulls are allowing way too many open shots.

---The Celtics led by as many as 35 points, marking the Bulls' biggest deficit of the season.

---After allowing a franchise-record 25 3-pointers on Sunday in Brooklyn, the Bulls allowed 21 3-pointers. Several of the Celtics' looks were wide open. The communication and rotations are non-existent for a defense that last season finished in the top-five.

---Earlier Tuesday, executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas expressed his disappointment with the team’s start in brief remarks to the beat writers here.

Asked how much ownership he takes for the Bulls’ struggles, Donovan didn’t run from responsibility.

“I take ownership in this too in terms of what I have to do. I’m not obviously the decisions that Arturas is making or Jerry and Michael (Reinsdorf) are making,” Donovan said. “And I’m not making the decisions on the court that the players are making. But where can I get better and improve and where can I help?

“I’m a big believer that you are what your record says you are. I’m not going to sit here say, ‘Well, a couple tough losses and we could be .500.’ No. This is what we are. What are the issues we have to address? As best as I can, I try to hit those head on and talk about those things and show them on film and maybe go about things in different ways.

“I take responsibility of where we’re at too. I look at myself first in terms of things I can do better to help our group. That’s my main focus. Certainly in conversations with players and our staff and Arturas, we’re all trying to put our heads together to try to figure out how we can help one another. And I think players have been great in terms of open communications in talking about things we have to do better.”

Finally I got a really nice Jaylen Brown game. Very cool!

It got weird when Mazzula started hack-a-Drummond. Understand why he did it but still it was weird.

Did I say that I love Jrue Holiday's defensive rotations? I do. And Derek White too. We just have a great guard tandem.

Looking forward to the in-season tourney, that will be a new experience.

Loved seeing Tatum and Brown punish the Bulls with the post up. The post up is back!!! Also love the baseline back door cut that showcases both J’s quickness and finishing ability. Kudos to Joe for coming up with more ways to make the J’s better, keep the defense off balance, these new wrinkles are making J’s so much better. Wish we had these attack staples in 22 Finals, that offense that year was too predictable and Warriors keyed on Tatum. This years offense has so much better options and diversity.

Just wanted to add DeRozen and Levine are considered upper tier wings in this league and the J’s totally made mincemeat out of them.

It was strange seeing the Celtics trying to pad the lead in the fourth quarter. In fact, it seemed like the Bulls were playing harder in the fourth quarter too. This in-season tournament does add some new wrinkles. I think it's good, and it seems no one got hurt in one of these "point differential" games. The NBA got lucky there. I have to admit I was locked in to see if we could win by 23 or more, and right after our game ended I put on the Brooklyn game. I am surprised how bad the bulls are playing. They have good talent. I think Billy D is gone soon.

Everyone looked really sharp last night. White and Holiday just play tremendous defense and when they are shooting the ball well, the Celtics are doubly tough to beat. I thought Queta might get some run, but Joe stuck with Kornet and he played very well, as he was dealing with slower bigs last night.

From the Chicago article:

DeMar DeRozan took exception to Pascal Siakam taking a late shot in the Bulls’ loss to the Raptors. But point differential, and perhaps some breaches of sportsmanship, will be the new norm with the In-Season Tournament. In fact, Donovan fielded a question about it pregame. And then Donovan had two in-game discussions with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla when Mazzulla instructed his players to intentionally foul Andre Drummond in the fourth quarter with the Celtics leading by 30 points.

My comments:

I'm on the fence here.  

On one hand, I was mad when Jaylen got tangled up late in the game and ended up on the floor.  If he got injured during a play when (normally) he'd be sitting on the bench watching garbage time, the whole IST comes into question.

On the other hand, watching nearly an entire quarter of garbage time whenever a team gets a big lead is boring.  Also, if players are going to claim bad sportsmanship for taking shots late in games after it is already decided (because of the invented importance of the point differential), where was the outrage at Malik Beasley when he hit that 3-pointer as time ran out in the non-IST Bucks game?  That made a 6-point game into a 3-point game, but by taking that shot and having no one mention that "poor sportsmanship" when it didn't matter and now they are crying about a team playing with a goal in mind when it does matter, that just make some of them a bunch of hypocrites.  

The fact that Mazzulla had to talk to Donovan (twice!!) about this during the game makes me question Donovan's mental capacity to understand simple concepts.  LOL

Of course, if the Celtics had played with the same urgency during the Orlando game, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Through 18 games the Celtics posted a 14-4 record last year.

The record may be identical but this team is playing a better brand of basketball.  It is a fact that the team is launching more 3 point shots.  What really stands out is the frequency of passing the ball.  The ball is really moving and the offensive attack now regularly includes so many more cuts to the rim.  It is beautiful basketball.  

This team has a lot of room for improvement.   While the bench remains a work in progress, missed games by key players has certainly opened the door for CJ to rely more on a deeper rotation.

We can match points with any team but the eye opener for me is how well we defend.  As long as the Celtics prioritize their staunch defense, the team will be really, really good!

Wow! I have to say I did not see this coming for the In-Season Tournament and the Celtics livelihood. I had thrown in the proverbial towel after the ORL display and performance. Next time just win out like the Lakers and remove all doubt, please!

But this thing has legs. Is it perfect? Hell no. But it is making in season games important. The multilayered GSW vs SAC game proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Halfway through, this is a good to great move Mr. Silver and NBA. Final judgment after next week.

Great showing overall from the bench. It may be time to fill a 9th seat at the table. Give me a day or so. maybe through PHI game. But someone's earning it.

Nice slaughter on the boards. When your opponents are constructing shopping malls, more rebounds are available. And we went after them.

I just really liked the way we played. Great ball movement, hitting shots, driving for layups, hitting 3's. Just an all-around great game. Yes, CHI sucks, but we need games like this to get our bench some showtime. Very important. Extremely important. And Brad possibly finding a bargain out there that would seamlessly fit in. Or not. All very intriguing.

On to play PHI. They'll have Maxey and Embiid on high alert. Can't rest on our laurels.

Go Celtics!!

db

Classy move by Mazzulla apologizing to Donovan and Drummond after the game. He did what he had to given the tourney rules. Mazzulla's a fiery competitor.

While the focus by the media was about running up the score, the Celtics did not win by 27 points simply because they scored 124 points.  Too much emphasis on point differential with scoring being the primary feature, misses the mark.  The Celtics held the Bulls to only 97 points.

Some of you know that point differential is a singularity for me as a statistical measurement for how good a team really is vs the competition.

As the sample size continues to grow, the numbers gain increased credibility.

dboss wrote:While the focus by the media was about running up the score, the Celtics did not win by 27 points simply because they scored 124 points.  Too much emphasis on point differential with scoring being the primary feature, misses the mark.  The Celtics held the Bulls to only 97 points.

Some of you know that point differential is a singularity for me as a statistical measurement for how good a team really is vs the competition.

As the sample size continues to grow, the numbers gain increased credibility.

I agree that point differential is a key stat. As the season goes on, it becomes more and more relevant to actual team strength.