The Chicago Bulls walked away from TD Garden with a 117-108 win against the Boston Celtics. Thursday's victory snapped a five-game losing streak against the defending NBA champs.
The Bulls pulled the upset by starting the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter with a 22-8 run. Ayo Dosunmu, Julian Phillips and Talen Horton-Tucker opened the rally that pushed the visitors to a 92-90 lead with 9:24 remaining in the game. Chicago never looked back once it went ahead.
The Celtics had plenty of opportunities to overhaul the lead but kept misfiring from behind the arc. Boston finished the game 14-for-56 from 3-point distance, the third time this season the Cs missed over 40 attempts from that distance.
Chicago improved its record to 13-15, while Boston dropped its win-loss card to 21-6.
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Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics player stats and box score
Chicago Bulls player stats and box score
Boston Celtics player stats and box score
Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics Game Summary
The Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics began a two-game mini-series on Thursday. Chicago, which lost 138-129 to the defending champs in late November, hoped to get revenge in the rematch.
A low-scoring affair happened in the first quarter. Boston took a 25-21 lead behind Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. Kristaps Porzingis also impacted the game early with his defense and outside shooting.
The second quarter had more offensive flow. The Celtics’ trio continued to carry the team while the Bulls got a boost from Zach LaVine, Coby White and Nikola Vucevic. LaVine had 13 points and two assists in the period, but Chicago trailed 57-54 at halftime.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the third quarter. Jayson Tatum carried the Celtics with 12 points and two assists. Payton Pritchard also gave his team a lift off the bench. Boston held an 86-82 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Zach LaVine and Ayo Dosunmu helped the Bulls stay within striking distance of the Celtics. The high-flying guard added seven points to his total. Dosunmu had a two-way impact that was crucial for Chicago.
The Bulls turned the game around in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter. Chicago dropped a 22-8 run to take control of the game before holding on for an impressive 117-108 win.
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