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Celtics Wrap: Boston Scores 38 Third-Quarter Points, Beats Bulls 117-92

NESN by Logan Mullen on Sat, Dec 23, 2017 at 9:46PM

The Chicago Bulls came to TD Garden on Saturday night on fire, having won seven of their previous eight games. The Boston Celtics, however, extinguished those flames in a big way, running through the Bulls 117-92. A monster third quarter made the difference for the Celtics, whose 38 points in the frame set a season-high for points in a quarter. Daniel Theis had a double-double in 24 minutes off the bench, posting 10 points with 15 rebounds. Kyrie Irving (25), Jaylen Brown (20), Aron Baynes (10), Al Horford (10), Jayson Tatum (13) and Marcus Smart (11) also posted double-digit scoring. The Celtics improved to 27-9 with the win, while the Bulls fell to 10-22. Here’s how it all went down:

STARTING FIVE PG: Kyrie Irving SG: Jaylen Brown SF: Jayson Tatum PF: Al Horford C: Aron Baynes

POINTS APLENTY IN THE FIRST Neither team had much trouble scoring during the first quarter, with the Celtics taking a 33-31 lead after one. The two sides traded chances seemingly every time down the floor, with the Celtics posting the largest lead of the quarter at five. The Bulls, however, stayed within striking distance, and the quarter ultimately finished with six lead changes and five ties. The Celtics shot an impressive 71.4 percent from the field on 15-for-21 shooting.

CELTICS LEAD, BUT GET CRUSHED ON THE GLASS Boston took a two-point lead into the half after going down by as many as seven in the quarter. The C’s were overwhelmed on the glass by Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic and Robin Lopez, who combined for 16 of Chicago’s 28 first-half rebounds. The Celtics, meanwhile, posted just 19 boards of their own while surrendering a brutal nine offensive rebounds, which Chicago cashed in for 10 second-chance points. Irving finished the half with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while Brown added 11 points of his own on 4-for-5 shooting. The Celtics lost Semi Ojeleye after his dunk attempt was blocked by Paul Zipser. The rookie drove the baseline, and as he went up was rejected by Zipser and went hard to the floor. Ojeleye was diagnosed with a lower back contusion and was said to be available by Celtics PR, but never returned to the game.

CELTICS DOMINATE IN THIRD QUARTER The Celtics put on an absolute clinic in the third quarter, outscoring Chicago 38-18 in one of their most dominant quarters in recent memory. Boston opened up a 12-0 run over 2:49 in the early stages of the quarter, and led by as many as 24 while finishing the frame with a 22-point advantage. Arguably the biggest catalyst for the Celtics’ offense was their shooting from 3-point territory, of which they went 5-for-7. Brown dropped nine points, while Tatum added seven of his own. By the time the buzzer went off, all five starters had made their way into double figures.

QUIET FOURTH QUARTER The Bulls put up a far better effort in the fourth quarter, but never did near enough to even begin to cut into the Celtics’ lead. Boston outscored Chicago 19-16 in the final frame.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT These two are quite the duo.

UP NEXT The Celtics will celebrate Christmas at TD Garden on Monday night against the Washington Wizards, with tip-off coming at 5:30 p.m. ET.
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Celtics get payback vs Bulls with 117-92 win

NBC SPORTS BOSTON By A. Sherrod Blakely December 23, 2017 9:24 PM

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics gave their fans an early Christmas present on Saturday – a blowout win.

After a relatively close first half, Boston opened the third quarter with a powerful run which opened the flood gates to a comfortable 117-92 Celtics win.

While players talk all the time about taking it one game at a time and not giving much thought to past performances, there was no way they could have gone into Saturday’s game and not looking to avenge a 23-point loss at Chicago earlier this month which was the worst loss for the Celtics this season.

Mind you, the Celtics didn’t have Kyrie Irving (facial fracture) for that game but still … they shouldn’t have been blown out by 23 points.

Well Irving was back in the lineup for the Celtics on Saturday, and his presence was definitely felt as Boston spent most of the second half in show-no-mercy mode against a Bulls team that has been among the hottest clubs in the league recently.

Boston (27-9) was led by Irving’s 25 points, but he was far from being the lone Celtics player causing all kinds of problems for the Bulls (10-22) who came in having won seven of its previous eight games.

Jaylen Brown, who did not play in Boston’s loss at New York on Thursday due to a sore Achilles injury, returned to the lineup with a strong performance of 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting which included him canning 4-of-6 three-pointers with most being wide open shots.

Boston opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run capped off by an Al Horford lay-up, Jayson Tatum on the assist which gave Boston a 68-60 lead.

The Celtics continued to surge ahead, with their lead peaking at 18 points on a couple different occasions before Boston took a comfortable 98-76 lead into the fourth.

The first quarter was a close, nip-and-tuck affair with neither team showing signs of pulling away and taking control of the game. There were six lead changes and five ties before Marcus Smart closed out the quarter with a 3-point play that gave Boston a 33-31 lead.

Boston’s finish to the first didn’t carry over into the second quarter which was similar to the first with neither team putting together enough plays to have even a semi-comfortable lead although the Bulls spent the bulk of the quarter with a slim lead.

And the reason?

Bobby Portis.

As was the case in Boston’s 108-85 loss at Chicago earlier this month, Portis was a problem that the Celtics never really had a solution to slow down.

Coming off the Chicago bench, Portis had 15 points at the half which included a string of three consecutive possessions in which he scored. But that would be the extent of the damage he caused, scoring just two points in the second half to finish with 17 for the game.
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When you value the ball you get more shots and you have a chance to score more points.  The Celts defense is still solid.  It is the offense that has been static.  Tonight they were clicking on all cylinders.  Much better pace as they put up 92 shots and there was a much better effort to get the ball up the court with some sense of urgency.

A solid win with 7 guys in double figures.  Theis with 15 boards was HUGE.  Jaylen is turning into a reliable shooter from deep.  Kyrie with several uncle drew moves.  Tatum getting more aggressive.  Smart again making big time defensive plays.  

This was a good tuneup for the wizards.

Dboss

Kyrie wants to be the anti-LeBron. He sees guys like Brown and Tatum as himself overwhelmed by LeBron and he's going to do it differently. He is stuck in place for the next few years until  he resigns for veteran maximum. He got a big steal towards the end when it still was a game.

Good job by Brad putting back Kyrie to seal it. He cleverly alternated Horford and Kyrie as alpha dogs to wrap it up. Nader probably only played by picking up some Larkin minutes. I'm sorry, but one time Horford or someone had to tell him where to go. He was standing around. He's not ready. The Celtics are hustling for wins waiting for Morris to come back or for Danny to do something.

Theis and Baynes are very good, but three bigs is not enough. Semi was finally hitting some shots. Too bad he choked on a dunk and got hurt.

Yabs is not a rookie Big Baby or Sully. He is more like a Jordan Mickey or RJ Hunter. He is not a Fab Melo, not a total strikeout by Danny, but he is a tweener to become a rotation player or a scrub. I like his game. He deserves a couple baby years. Teams going for championships cannot rely on so many scrubs. Semi and then Larkin got a foot in the door and they seem okay for the deep far out end of the bench. Nader, ugh. Sorry.

That was a great game with Kyrie refusing to go hero ball. Tatum had five assists. Horford has taken a huge leap as a point-center. When three starters are passing the ball that well, there will be a lot of baskets and a fun pace.

Rozier looked special in spots. He is a good guy and maybe a trade asset. Smart was Smart. He got ripped off on an early play driving to the hoop. I'd give him a mulligan for shooting. Jaylen Brown played the Ray Allen role. I was focusing on him for defense. He was great. Just non-stop swarming.

It was a great win against a poor team, although the Bulls have had the nice stretch.

If Semi is hurt, that hurts. Larkin. This team needs rest. Tonight was needed. I guess brace ourselves for some Yabs, Nader, Bird, the players who are too raw.

Maybe the C's don't need a pg and I was wrong on that.

The name PJ Brown has been mentioned by more than myself. It'd be nice to get a big.

I don't think we need scorers because there is great talent for that already. Get better pace and take care of the ball, guys like Brown, Tatum and Irving can be fed like pigs. Horford might have finally figured out those drive to the hoop layups. He nailed one or two of those. He had more touch.

Smart might have turned a corner for shooting. Get through this stretch with no more injuries while improving, that is a good goal. It'd be harder to get the fourth seed than the first.

The really good teams may lose to a bottom feeder but they don't do so the second time around. This was a revenge game and we have a couple more on the docket. No one has beaten us twice yet.

The Celtics displayed last night a return to form. This was a much better played game on both sides of the ball. They got the lead and maintained it. I'm sure there is a lot to criticize during the film sessions but the team just flat out played better and Chicago, back at full strength after their injury issues, coming off winning 7 of 8, couldn't get the job done.

Every player on the roster has a role to play, even the end of the bench players. At some point your number is going to get called for more minutes than you are used to getting. Last night Abel Nader got a chance. It's not unusual for players who haven't been playing to make glaring mistakes. But overall I thot he didn't do too badly. He played with energy, got a basket and a couple of boards and didn't turn it over. He is an offensive minded energy player and he needs a couple more shots so he is comfortable playing and can display his D-League ROY style.

Have I mentioned yet that I like Theis? Probably his best game yet. A double double with 10 points and 15 big boards. He is making the most of his Morris injury minutes and is proving himself on the grand stage of the NBA. He had 24 minutes to Aron's 14. While we all like Theis now, we are going to love him going forward. Just the latest example of an unsung Euro coming into the NBA and getting the job done.

Washington is perhaps the most important game of the year so far. They are a division rival, we haven't played them yet, They are a tough team and a real rivalry is developing. Should be a really fun game to watch. The reason it is so important is that it will be a gauge as to just how good this team is. We need to start a new streak and this is the game to do so.

I'm not wishing and hoping for Danny to make a move. I'm more interested in seeing this current roster play to their potential every night. If they do so then the need for a move is minimalized. We've been hit hard this year with injuries.

I think the team is doing an outstanding job of overcoming adversity. We hit a bump in the road we were travelling very fast on. The team was built to win this year. That first night injury would have ruined the season for most NBA teams. Morris going down would certainly have tipped a few more into thinking about the tank. But not this team and not this season. Sorry but I just can't agree with those who think the record to date is because of overachieving. That was an apt description of the past few years. This team was built to win and it is doing so All the more remarkable given the injuries.

For all those celebrating the Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah and Wesak Day, Happy Happy

All is right with the world again.

What did we ever do to Bobby Portis that he plays so well against us?  If we had a slot for a player like him, and I don't think we do currently, I'd love to have him.  Well, unless Chicago was willing to take Yabby for him.  Yabby is at the front of his rookie contract, is big like Portis and will get along great with Mirotic.  Just wondering aloud...

Horford told Nader to go somewhere once, but I've seen other players do that to other players too.  "Come set a pick", "get away from me so I can bust a move" stuff.  Nader got caught with his hand in the cookie jar (or is that the rookie jar?) a few times but I watched his matchup vs Darnell Valentine carefully since I thought that would give a indication of what he could do vs players who get regular playing time.  Valentine is a starter on a bad team but would be a solid rotation player (say, 15mpg) on a good team.  If Nader can handle him, with <200 minutes of NBA experience, that's not bad and I thought he did.  Valentine scored 5 points on 1-3 in 26 minutes but 3 of those points was on a 3pt fgm early in the game before Nader came in.  Nader scored 2 points on 1-3 in 15 minutes.  Nader's problem is that we've had very little practice time and an abbreviated pre-season, so players at the end of the bench like him and Yabby haven't had the time to be integrated into a unit.  Even though the opportunity for minutes are there due to injuries you still need practice to know what you should do when you get your chance and, as Phil pointed out, Nader and Yabby don't always know.  Despite that, not because of it, he still held his own against Valentine.  Right now Nader just runs to a corner and waits for the pass.  He is a better offensive player than that.  We saw him cut baseline last night for his 2 points.  He should be running off of cuts more, have backpicks set for him so he can do more baseline cuts like that.  That requires practice time, and Brad drawing up those plays for him, not just for Nader but for the players who are tasked to set those back picks.

7 players in double digits.  48% shooting.  29 assists on 44fgm and only 5 TOs.  92 fgas.  It's hard to be too critical of our offensive execution last night.

Smart was 4-12 (ok, I can bitch about that) but he did a lot of Smart stuff and as long as the W didn't hinge on his shooting I don't care.

Theis was 1-5 but you forget all about that when you see he was 8-8 from the line for his 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 24 minutes.  I still think he's not quite used to the speed and athleticism of the NBA.  I'm watching him do stuff he was doing in Germany but now the defense is reacting so swiftly they are up at the rim to contest him and they weren't in Germany.  Regardless, he was a difference maker last night.  15 rebounds.  We grabbed a team total of 46, so 1 out of every 3 was his.  Love it!!  I love how his first instinct after setting a pick is to roll to the front of the rim.  That's why he got 8ftas last night, because he was at the front of the rim when a shot went up.  He is, in my opinion, the best pnr player we have.  Not Baynes, not Horford, not Morris, Theis is.  At the bottom I provided Theis' highlights.  Watch them and you'll see how effective his rolling is. When we were a top rebounding team we were winning.  When we stopped being that we started to lose.  If Theis does little else but rebound and challenge shots he's a keeper.

For the first in a long time we won, or tied, every quarter.  That's focus.

Jaylen Brown.  20 points on 7-10, 4-6 from 3, 2-4 from the line.  In his last 5 games he is shooting 41.7% from the frito line but 55.3% from the field and 52.4% from 3.  SMH.
  

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400975236



















bob


.

Folks.........It's is just One Game!

See me in April!

112288

The biggest issue I've seen is the lack of pace. This game is a microcosm of what can be possible if we turn on the burners on a regular basis. Fast-paced basketball equals easier shots, and more shot attempts to go with that. If we always allow our opponents to set up their defense we will struggle to win against teams we are better than.


KJ

112288 wrote:Folks.........It's is just One Game!

See me in April!

112288

I've got to disagree with this one game stuff. Tatum had five assists. That was a leap or something. Irving clearly showed everyone needs to stay involved as a team. Theis had 15 rebounds. That's a solid chunk, almost Dennis Rodman territory.

Yes, the Bulls suck and it was just one game. The green goggled are always on the defensive.

It's not see you in April. This is an ongoing process. Danny will make a move or two hopefully to add to the drama.  Stevens is old school. This is about the journey. If it means a Cinderella championship, all the better.

It's a long shot, but this might have been the game that changed everything. They made it to Gino Time. You're ruining the one game buzz.

All I am saying is.............let's see an effort and a blow - out against a good team.

Chicago sucks.................Cleveland would be a good test on Wednesday!

Just my opinion but the Celtics are 1 good and 1 great player away from being dominate.

Hope we can get lucky as we did with Irving.

112288

112288 wrote:All I am saying is.............let's see an effort and a blow - out against a good team.

Chicago sucks.................Cleveland would be a good test on Wednesday!

Just my opinion but the Celtics are 1 good and 1 great player away from being dominate.

Hope we can get lucky as we did with Irving.

112288

I was just kidding. You are correct. Beat as curmudgeon realist has been more correct than wrong, too.

There's the Houston game also.

If Isaiah is back and plays, then yeah, the Cleveland game should become an instant classic. Maybe it is on TNT. They claim to know drama.

THE GAME VS, CLEVELAND IS ON ESPN WEDNESDAY January 3rd - 8:00 pm.

112288