Chicago Bulls have no answer for Jayson Tatum, whose 43-point triple-double leads the Boston Celtics to a 123-98 win

Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 43 points and added 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his third career triple-double, and the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 123-98 on Saturday night at the United Center.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 to help the Celtics rebound from a 117-108 loss to the Bulls in Boston on Thursday night.

Tatum, a five-time All-Star, scored 18 points in the third quarter as Boston used a 19-8 run to open a 93-77 lead heading into the fourth.

Nikola Vučević had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bulls, whose season-high three-game winning streak ended. Zach LaVine, Coby White and Patrick Williams had 14 points each.

Referee Aaron Smith left the game in the second half with a hip injury.

Takeaways

Celtics: After a sluggish start, Tatum heated up in the second quarter to reach 16 points and nine assists at the half. Brown helped keep Boston close early, scoring 15 in the first half.

Bulls: They shot only 37.9%, missing on airballs and even missed dunks. Guard Josh Giddey (ankle) missed his second game and will have to go through some “protocols” before returning, coach Billy Donovan said.

Key moment

The game was tied at 42 midway through the second quarter, then the Celtics and Tatum found offensive traction. Boston had a 61-54 lead at the half, using an 8-0 run to open a 12-point lead at one point. Tatum and the Celtics got hot again and took charge in the third after the Bulls had closed within five points.

Key stat

Boston entered leading the NBA with 51.3 3-point attempts per game but won this one with 62 points in the paint. The Celtics dominated with 58 rebounds and 25 second-chance points.

Fine time

The NBA fined the Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla $35,000 on Saturday “for aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official” at the end of his team’s loss to the Bulls on Thursday night.

Mazzulla’s outburst followed the Celtics getting whistled for three technical fouls — he got one, Jaylen Brown got one and Jayson Tatum got one — in the fourth quarter of the loss. When time expired, Mazzulla appeared to have some angry words for referee Justin Van Duyne.

Up next

The Celtics play at Orlando on Monday night and the the Bulls host the Milwaukee Bucks.

Originally Published: December 21, 2024 at 10:01 PM CST