Game ID: 22300797
Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls
Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
United Center, Chicago, IL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CHI 23 39 21 29 112BOS 31 28 37 33 129
BOS @ CHI ScoutingBOS @ CHI Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CHI availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restOUT Williams missed 5 since 1/28, out tonight
OUT Bitim missed 44 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Terry missed 3 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Craig back 2/03 after 22, 18 min since (91% of 20)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Caruso 29 to 34 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restOUT Williams missed 6 since 1/28, out tonight
OUT Bitim missed 45 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Terry missed 4 since 1/31, returns tonight: 12 min (102% of 12)
BACK Craig back 2/03 after 22, 17 min since (88% of 20)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 35 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Williams missed 7 since 1/28, out tonight
OUT Bitim missed 46 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Craig back 2/03 after 22, 18 min since (92% of 20)
BACK Terry back 2/10 after 4, 12 min since (102% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Caruso 29 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Drummond 17 to 22 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT Williams missed 8 since 1/28, not on tonight's roster
OUT Bitim missed 47 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Craig back 2/03 after 22, 20 min since (101% of 20)
BACK Terry back 2/10 after 4, 16 min since (141% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Caruso 29 to 34 min over the last 4
NEW Drummond 17 to 23 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT Bitim missed 48 since 11/06, returns tonight: 2 min (21% of 12)
BACK Terry back 2/10 after 4, 13 min since (114% of 12)
NEW Vučević 34 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Drummond 17 to 26 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 2/25 · 2 days' restBACK Bitim back 2/22 after 48, 2 min since (21% of 12)
BACK Terry back 2/10 after 4, 13 min since (111% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 36 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Craig missed 2 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Bitim back 2/22 after 48, 2 min since (21% of 12)
BACK Terry back 2/10 after 4, 13 min since (115% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 38 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 2/28 · back-to-backOUT Craig missed 3 since 2/22, out tonight
OUT Bitim missed 2 since 2/25, returns tonight: 28 min (236% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 38 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restOUT Craig missed 4 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Bitim back 2/22 after 48, 15 min since (129% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 29 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Drummond 17 to 25 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 2/09 · 1 day's restBACK Porziņģis back 1/30 after 2, 30 min since (103% of 29)
BACK Kornet back 2/04 after 3, 18 min since (122% of 15)
BOS availability going into 2/11 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 2/07, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 1/30 after 2, 31 min since (105% of 29)
BACK Kornet back 2/04 after 3, 16 min since (106% of 15)
BOS availability going into 2/13 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 3 since 2/07, out tonight
BACK Kornet back 2/04 after 3, 12 min since (84% of 15)
BOS availability going into 2/14 · back-to-backOUT Queta missed 4 since 2/07, returns tonight: 13 min (118% of 11)
BACK Kornet back 2/04 after 3, 13 min since (87% of 15)
BOS availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restBACK Queta back 2/14 after 4, 13 min since (118% of 11)
BOS availability going into 2/24 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 2/14 after 4, 13 min since (118% of 11)
BOS availability going into 2/27 · 2 days' restOUT Queta missed 2 since 2/22, out tonight
BOS availability going into 3/01 · 2 days' restOUT Tillman missed 2 since 2/24, returns tonight: 15 min (123% of 12)
OUT Queta missed 3 since 2/22, out tonight
BOS availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 4 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 15 min since (123% of 12)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 29 and White at 24 a game. 7 days' rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 110, shooting 53 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Tatum at 28 and Porziņģis at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 7 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 110 a night to Chicago's 116. Call it Boston 117, Chicago 114, Chicago keeping it close.
2/08 @ MEM 118-110 — CHI notes
CHI won 118-110. CHI shot 54% (43 of 79) to MEM's 46%, 12 of 26 from three, and went to the line 22 times to MEM's 13 — 20 points from the stripe to their 8. CHI turned it over 14 times to MEM's 9, and MEM turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 46-34 for them. DeRozan led with 30 (11 of 17, 3 of 3 from three); Drummond added 21, Vučević 20. The hinge was Q4, 38-29: CHI came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 8. CHI trailed 52-56 at the half and won the second half 66-54. Vučević was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
2/10 @ ORL 108-114 — CHI notes
CHI lost 108-114 in 1 overtime. CHI took 11 more shots (99 to 88), fed by 18 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to ORL's 47%, 12 of 37 from three, and got to the line 14 times to ORL's 26. CHI turned it over 8 times to ORL's 15. DeRozan led with 28 (11 of 24, 1 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Vučević added 26, Dosunmu 19. Q3 was theirs, 36-28, turning a 2-point deficit into a 6-point lead, but the other 4 periods went 86-72 against them. They led by as many as 11.
2/12 @ ATL 136-126 — CHI notes
CHI won 136-126. CHI shot 55% (51 of 92) to ATL's 47%, 13 of 28 from three. CHI turned it over 6 times to ATL's 11. Dosunmu led with 29 (12 of 18, 5 of 7 from three); DeRozan added 29, Vučević 24. The hinge was Q2, 34-26: CHI came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 1. Dosunmu was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
2/14 @ CLE 105-108 — CHI notes
CHI lost 105-108. CHI shot 46% (38 of 83) to CLE's 48%, 14 of 33 from three. CHI turned it over 14 times to CLE's 8. White led with 32 (11 of 17, 5 of 8 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); DeRozan added 24, Dosunmu 12. Q1 was theirs, 32-25, but the other 3 periods went 83-73 against them. They led by as many as 17. Vučević's -11 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/22 vs BOS 112-129 — CHI notes
CHI lost 112-129. CHI took 11 more shots (94 to 83), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 47% to BOS's 54%, 10 of 28 from three. Vučević led with 22 (10 of 19, 0 of 3 from three); C. White added 20, DeRozan 19. Q2 was theirs, 39-28, turning a 8-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 101-73 against them. C. White's -26 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/25 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 102, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Williamson at 25 and Ingram at 17 a game. Without Ingram (2 straight), Daniels (5 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; DeRozan at 26 and White at 21 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 102 a night to Chicago's 117 and the arc, Chicago at 40 percent from three to New Orleans's 34. Call it New Orleans 115, Chicago 109.
2/27 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; DeRozan at 25 and Vučević at 21 a game. Without Craig (2 straight). One day's rest. Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Cunningham at 23 and Fontecchio at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Stewart (11 straight), Sasser (2 straight), Milton (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 15 times a game to Chicago's 10 and the glass, where Chicago has been plus-1 a night and Detroit minus-3. Call it Chicago 119, Detroit 111.
2/28 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; DeRozan at 24 and Vučević at 20 a game. Without Craig (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Allen at 19 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 38 percent from three to Chicago's 33. Call it Chicago 113, Cleveland 112, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/01 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; DeRozan at 25 and Vučević at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Craig (4 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 100, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 29 and Lillard at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Middleton (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Milwaukee allowing 100 a night to Chicago's 114 and the arc, Milwaukee at 38 percent from three to Chicago's 31. Call it Milwaukee 114, Chicago 112, Chicago keeping it close.
2/09 vs WAS 133-129 — BOS notes
BOS won 133-129. BOS shot 52% (48 of 92) to WAS's 47%, 11 of 34 from three, and went to the line 28 times to WAS's 21 — 26 points from the stripe to their 19. The glass went 49-39 for them. Tatum led with 35 (12 of 22, 3 of 10 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Porziņģis added 34, Holiday 20. The hinge was Q3, 36-16: BOS came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 13. BOS trailed 64-71 at the half and won the second half 69-58. Hauser was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
2/11 @ MIA 110-106 — BOS notes
BOS won 110-106. BOS shot 51% (41 of 81) to MIA's 41%, 16 of 39 from three. Tatum led with 26 (11 of 20, 2 of 6 from three); Porziņģis added 25, Brown 20. The hinge was Q2, 33-28: a lead of 4 became 9, and the lead reached 15. White was the night's best plus/minus at +6.
2/13 @ BKN 118-110 — BOS notes
BOS won 118-110. BOS shot 52% (43 of 83) to BKN's 49%, 15 of 37 from three. Tatum led with 41 (14 of 26, 5 of 11 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Brown added 19, White 16. The hinge was Q2, 36-27: a lead of 6 became 15, and the lead reached 23. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
2/14 vs BKN 136-86 — BOS notes
BOS won 136-86. BOS shot 57% (52 of 91) to BKN's 38%, 22 of 45 from three. The glass went 51-31 for them. Pritchard led with 28 (11 of 16, 6 of 9 from three); White added 27, Tatum 20. The hinge was Q2, 38-17: a lead of 15 became 36, and the lead reached 56. White was the night's best plus/minus at +44.
2/22 @ CHI 129-112 — BOS notes
BOS won 129-112. BOS shot 54% (45 of 83) to CHI's 47%, 23 of 47 from three. White led with 28 (9 of 14, 5 of 10 from three); Tatum added 25, Brown 21. The hinge was Q3, 37-21: BOS came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 13, and the lead reached 21. BOS trailed 59-62 at the half and won the second half 70-50. Brown was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
2/24 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brunson at 30 and DiVincenzo at 22 a game. Without Randle (10 straight), Anunoby (10 straight), Robinson (35 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 109, shooting 53 percent and 43 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 29 and Porziņģis at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 43 percent from three to New York's 37. Call it Boston 116, New York 111.
2/27 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 103, shooting 54 percent and 45 from three, 17 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Brown at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. 2 days' rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 15 free throws a game; Maxey at 27 and Hield at 17 a game. Without Embiid (11 straight), Covington (25 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 45 percent from three to Philadelphia's 36 and the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to Philadelphia's 111. Call it Boston 118, Philadelphia 108, Boston by 10.
3/01 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 102, shooting 55 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 27 and Brown at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 2 days' rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Dončić at 35 and Irving at 30 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 102 a night to Dallas's 117 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-8 a night and Dallas minus-1. Call it Boston 121, Dallas 112.
3/03 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 102, shooting 55 percent and 45 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brown at 27 and Tatum at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 104, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Curry at 22 and Kuminga at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Wiggins (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 45 percent from three to Golden State's 37 and the turnovers, Golden State giving it away 16 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 118, Golden State 110.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JS J. Springer
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
SM S. Mykhailiuk
XT X. Tillman
CHIAC A. Caruso
AD A. Dosunmu
AD A. Drummond
CW C. White
DD D. DeRozan
DT D. Terry
JC J. Carter
JP J. Phillips
NV N. Vučević
OB O. Bitim
TA Taylor
VU Vucevic
BOS/CHI the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
White and Tatum team to help Celtics beat Bulls 129-112 for season-high 7th straight win
CHICAGO -- — The Boston Celtics enjoyed their break and were ready to get back to work. The NBA leaders got the job done in another convincing win.
Derrick White scored 28 points, Jayson Tatum added 25 and the Celtics won their season-high seventh straight game, beating the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on Thursday night.
White and Tatum each made five of Boston’s 23 3-pointers. Jaylen Brown scored 21 points, and the Celtics came away with another convincing victory after pounding Brooklyn by 50 prior to the All-Star break.
Boston went from leading by 16 to trailing by three at halftime before regaining control in the third. The Celtics outscored the Bulls 37-21 in the quarter.
“I thought the break was nice,” White said. “I think we were all just ready to get back to it. Just a big opportunity for us to be playing our best basketball going down the stretch. The break was nice. We just got to pick up where we were and try to keep getting better each day.”
Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Coby White scored 20 and DeMar DeRozan added 19 points on another rough night for the Bulls against the Celtics.
A blowout loss at Boston in late November left Chicago staggering with a 5-14 record. The Bulls steadied themselves somewhat, winning 21 of the next 36 despite losing Zach LaVine (foot) for the remainder of the season.
By the time this one was over, some fans were chanting for the Celtics. Boston backup Luke Kornet was dunking and, as he put it, “spaz” dabbing to celebrate.
“When the moment comes — there's a saying that I'm trying to get to and I can't find it. Sorry," he said.
The Celtics adjusted the way they defended the pick-and-roll after Chicago shot 70% in the second quarter and wasted little time taking control in the second half.
They scored 10 straight to start the third. Jrue Holiday and White each hit 3s, and Kristaps Porzingis capped the run with a 15-footer to boost Boston's lead to 69-62.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Tatum and Sam Hauser made it 86-72 with just under four minutes left in the third. Hauser exited moments later after taking an inadvertent elbow to the face from Kornet.
“I think I got kinda pushed into him,” Kornet said. “I felt bad because the second it happened, I was like that was not good. ... I felt like he was going be knocked out, so I'm glad he's all right. His eye's a little swollen, but for the most part, he's alright.”
Vucevic scored 20 points and Dosunmu added 12 to help Chicago grab a 62-59 halftime lead after trailing by 16 in the first quarter.
The Bulls, who scored 39 points in the second, took their first lead since the opening minutes on two free throws by Vucevic to make it 57-56 with 1:58 left in the half. Dosunmu put them back on top when he made a 3 from the wing after a save by Alex Caruso in the closing seconds, and Chicago headed to the locker room up by three after Brown missed a 3 for Boston.