The Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 125-111 on Friday night at TD Garden, opening NBA Cup group play with their fourth straight win. Payton Pritchard scored a season-high 30 points off the bench, Jayson Tatum added 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Paul George finished with 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists for Boston.
Boston led by as many as 32 points in the second quarter and never let Chicago back into the game until the fourth quarter, after Boston’s starters had already been pulled. The Bulls cut into the margin in the final minutes, but the outcome was settled long before that. Boston improved to 4-1, while Chicago fell to 1-5 with its fourth straight loss.
The win wrapped up a perfect 4-0 homestand for Boston, who opened the season with a road loss to the Detroit Pistons and have won every game since. It also gave Boston a 1-0 record in NBA Cup Group C and second place in the group standings with a plus-14 point differential.
Pritchard powers the Celtics early
Pritchard scored 20 points in the first half, shooting 9 of 17 from the field for the night. He hit a three pointer with 6:40 left in the second quarter to give Boston a 63-35 lead, and Boston finished the half with 78 points, a season high and four shy of the franchise record of 82 points before halftime.
It was another big night against Chicago for Pritchard. He scored 28 points in 22 minutes in Boston’s 134-99 home win over the Bulls on Monday, and he has now scored 62 points in two games against Chicago this season. Five Boston players scored in double figures on Friday, and Pritchard, Tatum and George combined for 74 points, nearly 60 percent of Boston’s total.
Tatum scored 26 points in 34 minutes, and his basket with 6:52 left put Boston ahead 111-88. George, in his first season with the Celtics, added 18 points and eight assists. Boston shot 51.2 percent from the field, scored 56 points in the paint and finished with 28 assists.
Bulls turnovers hurt Chicago again
Chicago had trouble taking care of the ball for the second time in a week against Boston. The Bulls turned the ball over 16 times on Friday, leading to 21 Celtics points. On Monday, Chicago turned it over 25 times in the 35-point loss, and Boston converted those mistakes into 39 points.
Caleb Wilson led Chicago with 23 points, including six three pointers. Norman Powell finished with 16 points and Matas Buzelis added 14, but the Bulls shot just 37.6 percent from the field and 30 percent from three point range, making 15 of 50 attempts from deep.
Chicago did not cut into the lead until the fourth quarter, when Boston’s starters were already out of the game. The Bulls outscored the Celtics in the final period, but the gap was too large. Boston led 99-74 at the end of the third quarter, and the late rally only trimmed the final margin to 14 points.
Celtics stay unbeaten at home
The Celtics have now beaten the Bulls twice in five days, by a combined 49 points. Boston’s bench gave the team a lift again, with Pritchard leading a second unit that kept the pressure on Chicago even when the starters rested. Boston scored from several parts of the rotation, and the ball movement showed in the assist total.
Chicago has now lost four straight games since its season-opening win. The Bulls shot poorly from the field and from three point range for the second straight meeting with Boston, and the turnovers kept giving the Celtics extra chances.
The Bulls visit Philadelphia on Monday, and the Celtics visit Orlando on Sunday. The two teams will meet again on Dec. 30 and March 9 in Chicago, with Boston holding a 2-0 edge in the season series so far.