BOSTON — In a thrilling contest on Thursday night, Zach LaVine delivered an impressive performance, scoring a season-high of 36 points, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 117-108 victory over the Boston Celtics in the first of a two-game series. This win marked the Bulls’ third consecutive victory, which is also their best run of the season so far.
The two teams are scheduled to face off again on Saturday night in Chicago. Ayo Dosunmu contributed significantly with 17 points while Nikola Vucevic had a solid outing, adding 16 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. In a pivotal fourth quarter, the Bulls dominated the Celtics, outscoring them 35-22, and finishing the game with a remarkable total of 19 three-pointers.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 31 points, however, this was only their fourth loss at home this season. Kristaps Porzingis also made a noteworthy contribution, scoring 20 points and collecting eight rebounds. Tensions escalated in the final quarter when Chicago’s strong play resulted in a few technical fouls being issued against coach Joe Mazzulla, Jaylen Brown, and Tatum, each of whom reacted to contentious calls, leaving the Celtics in turmoil for the remainder of the game.
After the game, Mazzulla’s frustration was evident, as he had to be held back by two assistant coaches from confronting the officiating crew.
In terms of standout moments from the game, Chicago began the fourth quarter with a strong 17-4 run, pulling ahead 99-90. The Celtics managed to score six quick points, but this was interrupted by back-to-back technical fouls on Mazzulla and Brown after they disputed a non-foul call against Brown. LaVine capitalized on this by making both free throws and following it up with a deep three-pointer from 31 feet, pushing Chicago’s lead to 104-96. Later in the quarter, Tatum also received a technical foul, allowing the Bulls to extend their lead to ten points.
On the statistical front, the Celtics managed to sink 14 three-pointers, thus ending a streak for the Bulls of holding opponents below ten three-pointers in their prior three games.