Tatum, Hauser, Horford lead way as NBA-leading Celtics beat Bulls 124-113 for 9th straight win
CHICAGO (AP) Whether Jayson Tatum is missing a game or Jaylen Brown is sitting out the next night, the Boston Celtics just keep rolling along. Make it nine straight wins now for the team with the NBA's best record.
Tatum scored 26 points, Sam Hauser and Al Horford added 23 apiece, and the Celtics made enough plays down the stretch to beat the Chicago Bulls 124-113 on Saturday night.
“We're just hungry for more,” Hauser said. “It's not in our character to just, like, mail it in for the rest of the season.”
Hauser made 7 of 8 3-pointers, while Horford hit five of Boston's 21 from beyond the arc. Derrick White scored 17. Payton Pritchard added 15 points and eight assists, and Luke Kornet grabbed 13 rebounds.
The Celtics pulled within two wins of their season-best streak even though Brown (sprained right ankle) and Kristaps Porzingis (right hamstring) sat out the game.
Playing its fifth game in seven nights, Boston scored nine straight to go up by eight early in the fourth quarter and remained in the lead the rest of the way. It was a six-point game when Luke Kornet scored on a tip-in and Tatum - who missed Friday's game at Detroit to rest his ailing right ankle - drove for a layup to make it 117-107 with 3:04 remaining.
“Different people, different guys, are ready to step up when their number’s called,” said Horford, who sat out the Pistons game because of a sprained left big toe. “We all understand what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to play. Guys are just staying ready and taking advantage of the opportunities.”
DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 26 points. Alex Caruso, Nikola Vucevic and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 14 as the Bulls dropped their second in a row. Chicago shot 57% and committed just seven turnovers, but got dominated 23-2 on second-chance points.
Chicago's Dalen Terry had the crowd roaring late in the third quarter with a thunderous tip-in dunk off a missed jumper by DeRozan to give the Bulls a one-point lead. They were up 92-91 in the closing minute of the quarter when Pritchard made a finger-roll layup and two free throws to start a nine-point spurt for Boston. Hauser capped it with a 3 in the opening minute of the fourth to make it 100-92.
Tatum scored 19 and Sam Hauser added 14 points as hot-shooting Boston grabbed a 66-60 halftime lead.
The Celtics made 13 of 27 3-pointers, with Hauser nailing 4 of 5 and Horford hitting three. Tatum buried a step-back jumper and a 3 to make it 66-55 with just over a minute remaining, before Vucevic made a hook shot for Chicago and White connected from beyond the arc to make it a six-point game.
The Bulls signed guard/forward Javonte Green to a 10-day contract, bringing him back for a second stint with the team. Green spent parts of three seasons in Chicago after being acquired from Boston as part of a three-team trade involving Washington in March 2021. He played in 10 games this season for Golden State's G League affiliate.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Visit Atlanta on Monday.
Bulls: Host Washington on Monday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Luke Kornet vs. Nikola Vucevic (Sam Hauser gains possession) | ||
| 11:45 |  | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:42 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 11:37 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point alley-oop dunk (Derrick White assists) | 2-0 |
| 11:25 | | DeMar DeRozan misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 11:23 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 11:09 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 11:07 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 11:07 | | Nikola Vucevic personal foul (Loose ball) (Luke Kornet draws the foul) | ||
| 10:57 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point stepback jump shot | 4-0 |
| 10:39 | | DeMar DeRozan misses two point finger roll layup | ||
| 10:37 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 10:30 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:26 | | DeMar DeRozan defensive rebound | ||
| 10:21 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses two point running layup | ||
| 10:18 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 10:10 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:08 | | Coby White defensive rebound | ||
| 10:00 | | DeMar DeRozan turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 9:50 | | Alex Caruso personal foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 9:38 | | DeMar DeRozan blocks Al Horford's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:38 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 9:32 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:32 | | DeMar DeRozan defensive rebound | ||
| 9:23 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point turnaround jump shot | 4-2 |
| 9:23 | | Derrick White shooting foul (DeMar DeRozan draws the foul) | ||
| 9:23 | | +1 | DeMar DeRozan makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 4-3 |
| 9:09 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:07 | | Ayo Dosunmu defensive rebound | ||
| 9:05 | | Jayson Tatum personal foul (Coby White draws the foul) | ||
| 9:00 | | +3 | Alex Caruso makes three point jump shot (DeMar DeRozan assists) | 4-6 |
| 8:40 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup | 6-6 |
| 8:40 | | Ayo Dosunmu shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 8:40 | | Jayson Tatum misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 8:35 | | Jayson Tatum offensive rebound | ||
| 8:32 | | Derrick White misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:29 | | Alex Caruso defensive rebound | ||
| 8:26 | | +2 | Ayo Dosunmu makes two point running layup (Alex Caruso assists) | 6-8 |
| 8:06 | | Sam Hauser turnover (bad pass) (Alex Caruso steals) | ||
| 7:59 | | Coby White misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:57 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 7:51 | | Luke Kornet turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 7:36 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point driving layup (Nikola Vucevic assists) | 6-10 |
| 7:23 | | Jayson Tatum turnover (bad pass) (Ayo Dosunmu steals) | ||
| 7:19 | | +3 | Alex Caruso makes three point running jump shot (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 6-13 |
| 7:16 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:00 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Al Horford assists) | 9-13 |
| 6:47 | | Alex Caruso misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:44 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 6:37 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:35 | | Ayo Dosunmu defensive rebound | ||
| 6:25 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point cutting layup (Coby White assists) | 9-15 |
| 6:10 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Luke Kornet assists) | 12-15 |
| 5:49 | | Luke Kornet blocks Alex Caruso's two point driving layup | ||
| 5:47 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 5:43 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving floating jump shot | 14-15 |
| 5:30 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point jump shot (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 14-17 |
| 5:13 | | +3 | Al Horford makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 17-17 |
| 4:59 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:56 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 4:39 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 4:34 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:13 | | Coby White misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:13 | | Celtics defensive rebound | ||
| 3:57 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 20-17 |
| 3:44 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point driving finger roll layup (Torrey Craig assists) | 20-19 |
| 3:29 | | Svi Mykhailiuk misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:26 | | Torrey Craig defensive rebound | ||
| 3:18 | | Nikola Vucevic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:14 | | Dalen Terry offensive rebound | ||
| 3:12 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:11 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 3:11 | | Oshae Brissett personal foul (Loose ball) (Dalen Terry draws the foul) | ||
| 3:11 | | Bulls 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:56 | | Onuralp Bitim misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 2:54 | | Xavier Tillman defensive rebound | ||
| 2:47 | | Jayson Tatum turnover (traveling) | ||
| 2:37 | | +3 | Torrey Craig makes three point jump shot (Onuralp Bitim assists) | 20-22 |
| 2:24 | | Torrey Craig personal foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 2:19 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Xavier Tillman assists) | 23-22 |
| 2:04 | | +2 | Dalen Terry makes two point driving layup (Coby White assists) | 23-24 |
| 1:51 | | +3 | Svi Mykhailiuk makes three point pullup jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 26-24 |
| 1:33 | | +2 | Dalen Terry makes two point driving layup (Torrey Craig assists) | 26-26 |
| 1:16 | | Svi Mykhailiuk misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:14 | | Andre Drummond defensive rebound | ||
| 1:09 | | Coby White misses two point running finger roll layup | ||
| 1:07 | | Xavier Tillman defensive rebound | ||
| 1:01 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point running layup (Payton Pritchard assists) | 28-26 |
| 1:01 | | Onuralp Bitim shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 1:01 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 29-26 |
| 0:44 | | +2 | Andre Drummond makes two point driving floating jump shot (Coby White assists) | 29-28 |
| 0:30 | | Xavier Tillman misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:27 | | Oshae Brissett offensive rebound | ||
| 0:27 | | +2 | Oshae Brissett makes two point putback layup | 31-28 |
| 0:08 | | +3 | Torrey Craig makes three point jump shot (DeMar DeRozan assists) | 31-31 |
| 0:01 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:01 | | Andre Drummond defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:47 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point pullup jump shot (Dalen Terry assists) | 31-33 |
| 11:25 | | +2 | Sam Hauser makes two point jump shot | 33-33 |
| 10:58 | | +3 | Dalen Terry makes three point jump shot (Coby White assists) | 33-36 |
| 10:36 | | Payton Pritchard misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:34 | | DeMar DeRozan defensive rebound | ||
| 10:30 | | Coby White turnover (bad pass) (Derrick White steals) | ||
| 10:24 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:20 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 10:17 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Sam Hauser assists) | 36-36 |
| 10:03 | | DeMar DeRozan misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:00 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 9:53 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Xavier Tillman assists) | 39-36 |
| 9:51 | | Bulls 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:36 | | +2 | Torrey Craig makes two point fadeaway jump shot (DeMar DeRozan assists) | 39-38 |
| 9:08 | | Payton Pritchard misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:06 | | Andre Drummond defensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point turnaround jump shot | 39-40 |
| 8:40 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point pullup jump shot | 41-40 |
| 8:15 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:14 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 8:06 | | Derrick White turnover (lost ball) (Torrey Craig steals) | ||
| 8:02 | | +2 | Alex Caruso makes two point running layup (Torrey Craig assists) | 41-42 |
| 7:48 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 44-42 |
| 7:30 | | Alex Caruso misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:27 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 7:24 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:18 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 7:13 | | Ayo Dosunmu personal foul (Luke Kornet draws the foul) | ||
| 7:04 | | Derrick White misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:57 | | Sam Hauser offensive rebound | ||
| 6:54 | | +2 | Al Horford makes two point layup (Derrick White assists) | 46-42 |
| 6:54 | | Bulls 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:28 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point floating jump shot (DeMar DeRozan assists) | 46-44 |
| 6:04 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 49-44 |
| 5:50 | | Nikola Vucevic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:48 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 5:35 | | +3 | Al Horford makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 52-44 |
| 5:15 | | +2 | Onuralp Bitim makes two point driving floating jump shot (DeMar DeRozan assists) | 52-46 |
| 4:59 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:56 | | DeMar DeRozan defensive rebound | ||
| 4:45 | | Onuralp Bitim misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 4:41 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 4:33 | | Sam Hauser turnover (bad pass) (Dalen Terry steals) | ||
| 4:18 | | Jump ball. Sam Hauser vs. Dalen Terry (Jayson Tatum gains possession) | ||
| 4:25 | | Ayo Dosunmu turnover (bad pass) (Sam Hauser steals) | ||
| 4:07 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup | 54-46 |
| 3:51 | | +2 | Coby White makes two point driving layup | 54-48 |
| 3:32 | | +3 | Al Horford makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 57-48 |
| 3:27 | | Payton Pritchard personal foul (Coby White draws the foul) | ||
| 3:16 | | +2 | Ayo Dosunmu makes two point driving layup (Nikola Vucevic assists) | 57-50 |
| 3:16 | | Al Horford defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 3:03 | | Onuralp Bitim shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 3:03 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 58-50 |
| 3:03 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 59-50 |
| 2:47 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point pullup jump shot (Nikola Vucevic assists) | 59-52 |
| 2:28 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving floating jump shot | 61-52 |
| 2:12 | | +3 | Torrey Craig makes three point jump shot (DeMar DeRozan assists) | 61-55 |
| 1:54 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point stepback jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 63-55 |
| 1:38 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:34 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 1:16 | | DeMar DeRozan personal foul (Luke Kornet draws the foul) | ||
| 1:10 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point pullup jump shot (Luke Kornet assists) | 66-55 |
| 0:50 | | +2 | Nikola Vucevic makes two point turnaround hook shot (Coby White assists) | 66-57 |
| 0:32 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:26 | | Coby White defensive rebound | ||
| 0:13 | | +3 | Coby White makes three point jump shot (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 66-60 |
| 0:00 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |