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Key Moment
The Boston Celtics got a sniff of a miraculous comeback during Game 1. In the end, however, they dug themselves too big of a hole during crunch time.
Chicago used a 6-0 run late in the game to turn a one-possession game into a comfortable nine-point advantage with only 78 seconds remaining on the clock. Dwyane Wade, an old nemesis of Boston, played a key role in the run.
Wade got it started with 3:08 left in the game when he canned an 18-foot jumper over Al Horford from just outside the left elbow. Neither team scored for the next minute-plus, as they combined to shoot 0-for-3 from the field and commit three turnovers, but Robin Lopez got himself to the free-throw line to extend Chicago’s lead.
Lopez, who had been a menace on the offensive glass all night with a total of eight offensive rebounds, fought for position on a Jimmy Butler missed jumper and was fouled by Horford in the process. He toed the line with 1:41 remaining in the contest and calmly drilled two free throws to give the Bulls a 99-92 advantage.
Wade then found Bobby Portis, who led all reserves with 19 points in the game, for an open jumper 23 seconds later. Portis drained his shot from just outside the right elbow.
Boston did make a run, somehow pulling to within two points with 7.5 seconds left, but Jimmy Butler put the game on ice with two free throws with 3.3 seconds left. Those free throws provided Chicago with a 106-102 lead that held true to the final buzzer.
Key Player
Isaiah Thomas was incredible Sunday night. You’ll hear plenty about his courage and strength, but here, we’ll just talk about his box score.
Thomas was far and away Boston’s best player during Game 1 as he scored a game-high 33 points on 10-for-18 shooting. He made three of his seven 3-pointers and 10 of his 12 free throws. Those 10 made free throws were also a game high.
Boston’s little guy isn’t exactly known for filling up a box score across the board but he did so during this contest. He also dished out six assists, grabbed five rebounds and a steal during his exactly 38 minutes of action.
The C’s played at a much higher level while he was on the court; Boston outscored Chicago by 12 points with Thomas in the game. That plus/minus ranking tied Bobby Portis for the highest mark in the game.
Box Score Nuggets
- Two players in the game, Isaiah Thomas (33 points) and Jimmy Butler (30 points), scored at least 30.
- Three of the 10 starters in the game failed to score more than nine points.
- Chicago grabbed 20 offensive rebounds during the game, just four fewer than the Celtics grabbed on the defensive glass.
- Robin Lopez tallied a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds.
- Chicago's bench outscored Boston's 35-22.
- Bobby Portis was a key to that, as he came off of Chicago's bench to score 19 points.
- The Celtics made 14 3-pointers to Chicago's eight.
- Thomas attempted 12 of Boston's 19 free throws.
- Both teams committed at least 16 turnovers.
- The contest featured 14 ties and 10 lead changes.
- Al Horford put forth a strong game with 19 points, a team-high eight assists and seven rebounds.
- The teams shot nearly identical percentages from the field: 43.0 percent for Boston, 42.9 percent for Chicago.
- Marcus Smart led Boston's reserves with nine points and six assists.
Quote of the Night
Brad Stevens on Isaiah Thomas.