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Key Moment
The Boston Celtics faced a daunting, 20-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter Friday night, and for a moment, it appeared as though they actually had a chance to overcome the host Chicago Bulls. Boston began the frame on an 18-6 run, putting them within eight points of Chicago with more than half of a period left to play.
But just like that, the Bulls turned on their hooves and stampeded back over the C’s, regaining their 20-point lead in a matter of two minutes.
Zach LaVine, Coby White and Nikola Vucevic led the 12-0 run, starting with an explosive dunk from LaVine. The Celtics then turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, both of which turned into buckets for White.
Vucevic then got on the board with a lay-up, before LaVine knocked down a dagger 3-pointer to give Chicago a 112-92 lead with 3:02 remaining. And with the strong Chicago wind at their back, the Bulls coasted along to a 121-99 win.
Key Player
With season-high scoring performances is consecutive games now, it is clear that Kemba Walker has found his stride, and at just the right time.
Walker poured in a season-best 32 points in Orlando Wednesday night, only to one-up that performance Friday night with a 33-point effort in Chicago.
Boston’s point guard shot 10-of-21 from the field, including 6-of-13 from 3-point range, while also knocking down 7-of-8 from the free-throw line against the Bulls. He also corralled four rebounds, dished out three assists, snagged one steal and blocked one shot, all in 32 minutes of action.
Outside of Walker, no other Celtic reached the 20-point mark and Evan Fournier (17 points) was his only other teammate that reached double-digits. However, this was a rare instance for a Celtics team that has been thriving on the offensive end of late, and Walker’s recent emergence on that end should only make them more dangerous heading into this final stretch of regular-season games.
Box Score Nuggets
- Kemba Walker scored a season-high 33 points.
- Evan Fournier was the only other Celtic to reach double-figures in scoring. He had 17 points.
- Zach LaVine and Coby White led the scoring charge for Chicago with 25 points apiece.
- Nicola Vucevic logged a triple-double of 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
- The Bulls commmitted only nine turnovers, while Boston committed 13.
- Walker and Fournier combined to shoot 9-of-17 from 3-point range.
- The rest of the Celtics combined to shoot 2-of-22 from deep.
- The Bulls shot 18-of-40 (45 percent) from long range.
- Boston had a 44-34 scoring advantage inside the paint.
- Chicago scored only two fast-break points.
- Marcus Smart was the only Celtics player who dished out more than three assists. He had five.
Quote of the Night
Evan Fournier looking ahead to our final five games.