Anfernee Simons scored all of his 27 points in the second half — including 18 in a row at one point — and Payton Pritchard added 21, helping Boston secure a 115-101 win. Brown was 6 for 24 from the field and had 14 points.
With the victory and the Knicks’ loss to the Pistons, the Celtics moved into second place in the Eastern Conference, a notable marker with the season’s midway point less than two weeks away.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
After shooting 31.7 percent from the field and 17.9 percent from the 3-point line in the first half, the Bulls connected on 55.6 percent of their shots and 66.1 percent of their threes in the second, but the early deficit was too large.
The Celtics led, 101-81, midway through the fourth when the Bulls made their first mild run. Two 3-pointers by Nikola Vucevic helped Chicago pull within 106-96 with 3:34 left. But the Celtics did not allow Chicago to get any closer, with a Simons 3-pointer helping finish off the win as well as his massive second half.
The Celtics’ perimeter shooting was off at the start, but Neemias Queta and Luka Garza helped ensure that the points piled up anyway by converting two putbacks apiece in the opening quarter, part of a 14-2 edge in second-chance points.
The Bulls’ lack of production in this area was particularly startling considering they missed 28 of 41 shots, giving them plenty of extra opportunities.
Pritchard had one of Boston’s only loud offensive stretches in the opening quarter when he pulled up for a 3-pointer in the final minute and then drained a midrange jumper to stretch a lead to 31-14.
Chicago was just 6 for 22 from the field with six turnovers in the opening quarter, allowing the Celtics to open up such a big lead despite their own grisly shooting.
Jaylen Brown found the going difficult against the Bulls, but contributed 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists to the Celtics’ win.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Brown, coming off his scorching 50-point performance to cap a strong road trip, kept looking for ways to get untracked by finding mid-range and paint chances. But one try after another rolled off the rim during his 1 for 11 start.
Once again, though, the Bulls’ struggles more than negated any lack of scoring punch by the Celtics. Chicago generated plenty of clean looks from beyond the arc but missed 20 of its first 22 anyway.
With about five minutes left in the second quarter, veteran guard Jevon Carter checked in and did what his teammates theretofore could not: He hit 2 of 3 3-pointers. That mini-flurry helped Chicago slice a 23-point deficit to 49-33. But it did not lead to a meaningful run.
In the final seconds of the half, Brown grabbed a rebound and decided to get the ball to a hotter hand who also happens to be one of the NBA’s most dangerous scorers at the end of quarters. Pritchard rushed upcourt as fans stood in anticipation, and the 6-foot-1-inch guard swished a step-back, fadeaway 3-pointer from the left arc at the buzzer. He smiled and nodded as if to indicate that he had expected the result.
That gave the Celtics a 54-33 lead after shooting just 35.7 percent from the field in the half.
Payton Pritchard was good as gold with another buzzer-beater for the Celtics, this time just before halftime against the Bulls in his 21-point effort.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Chicago lingered in the third quarter, but Pritchard helped ensure that they never got too close. He drilled two 3-pointers over a 40-second span, and with 8:08 left he scored inside as he was fouled.
The Celtics needed the burst from someone with Brown continuing to scuffle. After he dropped to 0 for 5 from the 3-point line, he grabbed the rebound and let out frustrations with a loud one-handed dunk.
Second chances such as those continued to give Boston a lift.
Late in the quarter, Simons missed a 3-pointer, but Hugo González tussled for the offensive rebound and fired it right back to Simons, whose 3-pointer gave Boston an 82-61 lead. That helped kick-start the massive 18-point stretch for Simons in the opening minutes of the fourth.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
Comments are closed.