Good first half helps Boston Celtics take 101-95 victory over Chicago Bulls – NBA Recap
The Boston Celtics faced off against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Monday night, and came away with a relatively comfortable victory in the end, winning 101-95. The Celtics led through the first two periods, but the Bulls staged a comeback in the final quarter, outscoring the Celtics 25-19. However, they were unable to go all the way and prevent a loss to the men in green. Rajon Rondo led the Celtics on the night with 20 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 5 steals, where as Brandon Bass added 16 points and 5 rebounds. Luol Deng had a good night for the Bulls, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds while going 11 of 20 from the field. Joakim Noah had another double double night, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Celtics came out firing on all cylinders in the first period, scoring quickly to take an early 9-4 lead. Back to back field goals by Carlos Boozer cut the Celtics lead down to 1, but they responded with an 8-0 run that extended their lead to 17-8. The Bulls came back later in the period through an 8-2 run of their own to trail the Celtics 18-23. Deng then hit a three pointer in the final minute to put the Bulls four points behind the Celtics, but Rajon Rondo scored a running layup before the period ended and the Celtics took a 33-27 lead into the second period.
The Bulls opened the second period with a three pointer by Marco Belinelli, but the Celtics still held on to the lead. A 10-0 run by the Celtics once again extended their lead to 51-38, as the Bulls struggled to find scoring options and score freely from the field. Jimmy Butler scored two points followed by a slam dunk by Carlos Boozer to cut the Celtics lead down to 53-46, and Jason Terry scored a three pointer to close the 1st half, putting the Celtics ahead 58-46.
The Celtics continued their aggressiveness over the Bulls in the early going of the third period, with a layup by Rondo followed by two free throws by Brandon Bass putting the men in green up by 14 points. The Bulls attempted to get close to the Celtics throughout the quarter but every run of theirs was cut short by an aggressive Celtics offence led by Rondo. After Nate Robinson had brought the lead down to 9 with a jump shot, Jared Sullinger closed the period for the Celtics with a three pointer that put them up 82-70 again.
Chicago came out firing in the final period, going on a 14-5 run that helped them reduce the lead down to 87-84. The Celtics scored the next four points, but the Bulls were right on their tail and a layup by Noah had them trailing by three. With less than a minute left, Deng hit a clutch layup that cut the Celtics lead down to two, but Kevin Garnett scored an alley oop dunk off an assist by Rondo to put the Celtics back up by four. The Bulls were unable to get a stop after that and the Celtics won 101-95.
Boston shot 50.6 percent from the field compared to 45.9 percent for the Bulls, but was only 1 of 10 from three point range where as the Bulls went 3 of 9. Chicago also had a 40-34 lead in rebounds, but had five more turnovers and were 24 of 31 from the foul line. It all came down to important plays near the end which proved to be the difference maker in the game, and the Bulls were not up to their usual mark in rebounding.
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