White and Tatum team to help Celtics beat Bulls 129-112 for season-high 7th straight win
CHICAGO (AP) The Boston Celtics enjoyed their break and were ready to get back to work. The NBA leaders got the job done in another convincing win.
Derrick White scored 28 points, Jayson Tatum added 25 and the Celtics won their season-high seventh straight game, beating the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on Thursday night.
White and Tatum each made five of Boston’s 23 3-pointers. Jaylen Brown scored 21 points, and the Celtics came away with another convincing victory after pounding Brooklyn by 50 prior to the All-Star break.
Boston went from leading by 16 to trailing by three at halftime before regaining control in the third. The Celtics outscored the Bulls 37-21 in the quarter.
“I thought the break was nice,” White said. “I think we were all just ready to get back to it. Just a big opportunity for us to be playing our best basketball going down the stretch. The break was nice. We just got to pick up where we were and try to keep getting better each day.”
Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Coby White scored 20 and DeMar DeRozan added 19 points on another rough night for the Bulls against the Celtics.
A blowout loss at Boston in late November left Chicago staggering with a 5-14 record. The Bulls steadied themselves somewhat, winning 21 of the next 36 despite losing Zach LaVine (foot) for the remainder of the season.
By the time this one was over, some fans were chanting for the Celtics. Boston backup Luke Kornet was dunking and, as he put it, “spaz” dabbing to celebrate.
“When the moment comes - there's a saying that I'm trying to get to and I can't find it. Sorry," he said.
The Celtics adjusted the way they defended the pick-and-roll after Chicago shot 70% in the second quarter and wasted little time taking control in the second half.
They scored 10 straight to start the third. Jrue Holiday and White each hit 3s, and Kristaps Porzingis capped the run with a 15-footer to boost Boston's lead to 69-62.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Tatum and Sam Hauser made it 86-72 with just under four minutes left in the third. Hauser exited moments later after taking an inadvertent elbow to the face from Kornet.
“I think I got kinda pushed into him,” Kornet said. “I felt bad because the second it happened, I was like that was not good. ... I felt like he was going be knocked out, so I'm glad he's all right. His eye's a little swollen, but for the most part, he's alright.”
Vucevic scored 20 points and Dosunmu added 12 to help Chicago grab a 62-59 halftime lead after trailing by 16 in the first quarter.
The Bulls, who scored 39 points in the second, took their first lead since the opening minutes on two free throws by Vucevic to make it 57-56 with 1:58 left in the half. Dosunmu put them back on top when he made a 3 from the wing after a save by Alex Caruso in the closing seconds, and Chicago headed to the locker room up by three after Brown missed a 3 for Boston.
UP NEXT
Celtics: At New York on Saturday night.
Bulls: At New Orleans on Sunday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Kristaps Porzingis vs. Nikola Vucevic (Jaylen Brown gains possession) | ||
| 11:46 |  | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:43 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 11:35 | | Alex Caruso turnover (bad pass) (Kristaps Porzingis steals) | ||
| 11:25 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:23 | | Ayo Dosunmu defensive rebound | ||
| 11:16 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 11:14 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 11:04 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 11:01 | | DeMar DeRozan defensive rebound | ||
| 10:42 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point jump shot (Coby White assists) | 0-2 |
| 10:20 | | +3 | Jrue Holiday makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 3-2 |
| 10:04 | | Nikola Vucevic turnover (bad pass) (Jaylen Brown steals) | ||
| 9:54 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving reverse layup | 5-2 |
| 9:44 | | Nikola Vucevic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:41 | | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 9:30 | | Jrue Holiday misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 9:28 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 9:18 | | DeMar DeRozan misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:16 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 9:07 | | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 8-2 |
| 8:45 | | +3 | Ayo Dosunmu makes three point jump shot (Nikola Vucevic assists) | 8-5 |
| 8:31 | | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jaylen Brown assists) | 10-5 |
| 8:20 | | Coby White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:17 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 8:07 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 13-5 |
| 7:55 | | DeMar DeRozan turnover (bad pass) (Jayson Tatum steals) | ||
| 7:50 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point running reverse layup | ||
| 7:48 | | Alex Caruso defensive rebound | ||
| 7:43 | | Derrick White blocks Nikola Vucevic's two point running layup | ||
| 7:42 | | Ayo Dosunmu offensive rebound | ||
| 7:40 | | Jrue Holiday blocks DeMar DeRozan's two point driving layup | ||
| 7:38 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 7:37 | | Bulls 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:27 | | Kristaps Porzingis blocks Ayo Dosunmu's two point driving layup | ||
| 7:24 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 7:19 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving floating jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 15-5 |
| 7:08 | | +2 | Alex Caruso makes two point cutting layup (Nikola Vucevic assists) | 15-7 |
| 6:58 | | Alex Caruso shooting foul (Derrick White draws the foul) | ||
| 6:58 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-7 |
| 6:58 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-7 |
| 6:45 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point jump shot (Coby White assists) | 17-9 |
| 6:35 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:32 | | Al Horford offensive rebound | ||
| 6:23 | | Derrick White misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:20 | | Coby White defensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | Coby White misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:12 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 6:08 | | Julian Phillips shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 6:08 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-9 |
| 6:08 | | Jaylen Brown misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 6:05 | | Julian Phillips defensive rebound | ||
| 5:42 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point pullup jump shot (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 18-11 |
| 5:29 | | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 20-11 |
| 5:16 | | Coby White turnover (bad pass) (Derrick White steals) | ||
| 5:11 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point running dunk | 22-11 |
| 4:52 | | Derrick White blocks Nikola Vucevic's two point layup | ||
| 4:51 | | Nikola Vucevic offensive rebound | ||
| 4:50 | | Derrick White blocks Julian Phillips's two point cutting layup | ||
| 4:48 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 4:44 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point running layup | 24-11 |
| 4:44 | | Coby White shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 4:44 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 25-11 |
| 4:30 | | Kristaps Porzingis blocks Andre Drummond's two point driving layup | ||
| 4:28 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point stepback jump shot (Julian Phillips assists) | 25-13 |
| 4:13 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point pullup jump shot | 28-13 |
| 4:04 | | Jaylen Brown shooting foul (DeMar DeRozan draws the foul) | ||
| 4:04 | | +1 | DeMar DeRozan makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-14 |
| 4:04 | | +1 | DeMar DeRozan makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-15 |
| 3:52 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point pullup jump shot | 31-15 |
| 3:32 | | DeMar DeRozan misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 3:31 | | Nikola Vucevic offensive rebound | ||
| 3:27 | | DeMar DeRozan misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:26 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 3:24 | | DeMar DeRozan personal foul (Al Horford draws the foul) | ||
| 3:05 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 3:03 | | Andre Drummond defensive rebound | ||
| 2:45 | | DeMar DeRozan misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:43 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 2:36 | | Derrick White misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 2:34 | | Andre Drummond defensive rebound | ||
| 2:26 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point turnaround hook shot (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 31-17 |
| 2:11 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:10 | | Julian Phillips defensive rebound | ||
| 2:02 | | Al Horford blocks DeMar DeRozan's two point driving layup | ||
| 2:00 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 1:55 | | Derrick White offensive foul (Charge) (Julian Phillips draws the foul) | ||
| 1:55 | | Derrick White turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 1:55 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:43 | | Jayson Tatum shooting foul (Andre Drummond draws the foul) | ||
| 1:43 | | +1 | Andre Drummond makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 31-18 |
| 1:43 | | +1 | Andre Drummond makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-19 |
| 1:21 | | Alex Caruso blocks Jayson Tatum's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:19 | | Ayo Dosunmu defensive rebound | ||
| 1:16 | | +2 | Ayo Dosunmu makes two point running finger roll layup | 31-21 |
| 1:02 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 1:00 | | Ayo Dosunmu defensive rebound | ||
| 0:54 | | Jevon Carter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:51 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 0:31 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:28 | | Andre Drummond defensive rebound | ||
| 0:20 | | +2 | Andre Drummond makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Alex Caruso assists) | 31-23 |
| 0:06 | | Jayson Tatum offensive foul (Off the ball) (Ayo Dosunmu draws the foul) | ||
| 0:06 | | Jayson Tatum turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 0:02 | | Alex Caruso misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:38 | | +2 | Andre Drummond makes two point driving layup (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 31-25 |
| 11:19 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 33-25 |
| 11:08 | | +3 | Alex Caruso makes three point jump shot (DeMar DeRozan assists) | 33-28 |
| 10:48 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:45 | | Jevon Carter defensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | DeMar DeRozan misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:33 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 10:28 | | Jrue Holiday turnover (lost ball) (Alex Caruso steals) | ||
| 10:08 | | +3 | Ayo Dosunmu makes three point jump shot (Alex Caruso assists) | 33-31 |
| 9:54 | | Jevon Carter personal foul (Luke Kornet draws the foul) | ||
| 9:38 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Sam Hauser assists) | 36-31 |
| 9:23 | | Alex Caruso turnover (bad pass) (Luke Kornet steals) | ||
| 9:18 | | +2 | Sam Hauser makes two point running layup (Jrue Holiday assists) | 38-31 |
| 9:07 | | Luke Kornet shooting foul (DeMar DeRozan draws the foul) | ||
| 9:07 | | +1 | DeMar DeRozan makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-32 |
| 9:07 | | +1 | DeMar DeRozan makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-33 |
| 8:54 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jayson Tatum assists) | 40-33 |
| 8:39 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point cutting layup (Jevon Carter assists) | 40-35 |
| 8:31 | | Jrue Holiday offensive foul (Off the ball) (DeMar DeRozan draws the foul) | ||
| 8:31 | | Jrue Holiday turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 8:21 | | Coby White turnover (bad pass) (Jayson Tatum steals) | ||
| 8:15 | | Jayson Tatum turnover (lost ball) (Ayo Dosunmu steals) | ||
| 8:06 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:00 | | Dalen Terry offensive rebound | ||
| 7:57 | | Coby White misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:54 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 7:45 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 43-35 |
| 7:26 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point hook shot (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 43-37 |
| 7:14 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Luke Kornet assists) | 45-37 |
| 6:57 | | Bulls 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:47 | | +3 | Julian Phillips makes three point jump shot (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 45-40 |
| 6:34 | | Derrick White turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 6:17 | | Jaylen Brown shooting foul (Coby White draws the foul) | ||
| 6:17 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:17 | | +1 | Coby White makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 45-41 |
| 6:17 | | +1 | Coby White makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 45-42 |
| 6:03 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 48-42 |
| 5:39 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point alley-oop layup (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 48-44 |
| 5:21 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:19 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 5:06 | | +2 | Julian Phillips makes two point driving layup (Dalen Terry assists) | 48-46 |
| 4:47 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 4:45 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:38 | | Coby White misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:36 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 4:26 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup | 50-46 |
| 4:26 | | Ayo Dosunmu shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 4:26 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 51-46 |
| 4:10 | | Alex Caruso misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:08 | | Nikola Vucevic offensive rebound | ||
| 3:58 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point driving layup | 51-48 |
| 3:52 | | Alex Caruso personal foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 3:45 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:41 | | Ayo Dosunmu defensive rebound | ||
| 3:28 | | +3 | DeMar DeRozan makes three point jump shot (Alex Caruso assists) | 51-51 |
| 3:06 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point stepback jump shot | 54-51 |
| 2:54 | | +2 | Ayo Dosunmu makes two point driving finger roll layup | 54-53 |
| 2:42 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 56-53 |
| 2:22 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 56-55 |
| 2:06 | | Kristaps Porzingis offensive foul (Off the ball) (Alex Caruso draws the foul) | ||
| 2:06 | | Kristaps Porzingis turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 1:58 | | Kristaps Porzingis shooting foul (Nikola Vucevic draws the foul) | ||
| 1:58 | | +1 | Nikola Vucevic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 56-56 |
| 1:58 | | +1 | Nikola Vucevic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 56-57 |
| 1:37 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point pullup jump shot | 59-57 |
| 1:15 | | +2 | Ayo Dosunmu makes two point driving layup | 59-59 |
| 1:06 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:01 | | Alex Caruso defensive rebound | ||
| 0:57 | | Alex Caruso misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:54 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 0:32 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:29 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 0:07 | | +3 | Coby White makes three point pullup jump shot (Alex Caruso assists) | 59-62 |
| 0:00 | | Jaylen Brown misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |