Game ID: 22400381
Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls
Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
United Center, Chicago, IL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CHI 28 26 23 21 98BOS 28 33 32 30 123
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 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Williams missed 9 since 11/20, out tonight
OUT Craig missed 3 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK White back 12/06 after 2, 32 min since (96% of 33)
BACK Ball back 11/27 after 15, 17 min since (75% of 22)
CHI availability going into 12/13 · 4 days' restOUT Williams missed 10 since 11/20, returns tonight: 14 min (56% of 25)
OUT Craig missed 4 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK White back 12/06 after 2, 34 min since (104% of 33)
CHI availability going into 12/16 · 2 days' restOUT Craig missed 5 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK White back 12/06 after 2, 34 min since (102% of 33)
BACK Williams back 12/13 after 10, 14 min since (56% of 25)
CHI availability going into 12/19 · 2 days' restOUT Terry missed 2 since 12/13, out tonight
OUT Craig missed 6 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK White back 12/06 after 2, 34 min since (103% of 33)
BACK Williams back 12/13 after 10, 18 min since (71% of 25)
CHI availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Terry missed 3 since 12/13, returns tonight: 12 min (85% of 14)
OUT Craig missed 7 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK White back 12/06 after 2, 34 min since (102% of 33)
BACK Williams back 12/13 after 10, 19 min since (78% of 25)
NEW Dosunmu 30 to 35 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Giddey missed 2 since 12/19, out tonight
OUT Craig missed 8 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK Williams back 12/13 after 10, 20 min since (80% of 25)
BACK Terry back 12/21 after 3, 12 min since (85% of 14)
NEW Dosunmu 30 to 35 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Giddey missed 3 since 12/19, out tonight
OUT Craig missed 9 since 12/02, returns tonight: 14 min (109% of 12)
BACK Williams back 12/13 after 10, 21 min since (82% of 25)
BACK Terry back 12/21 after 3, 14 min since (103% of 14)
CHI availability going into 12/28 · 1 day's restOUT Giddey missed 4 since 12/19, returns tonight: 30 min (98% of 30)
OUT Ball missed 2 since 12/23, returns tonight: 20 min (88% of 22)
BACK Terry back 12/21 after 3, 12 min since (91% of 14)
BACK Craig back 12/26 after 9, 14 min since (109% of 12)
NEW Dosunmu 30 to 36 min over the last 4
NEW Horton-Tucker 12 to 19 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 12/30 · 1 day's restOUT Dosunmu missed 2 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Giddey back 12/28 after 4, 30 min since (98% of 30)
BACK Ball back 12/28 after 2, 20 min since (88% of 22)
BACK Terry back 12/21 after 3, 13 min since (100% of 14)
BACK Craig back 12/26 after 9, 12 min since (99% of 12)
BOS availability going into 12/07 · back-to-backOUT Scheierman missed 2 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 12/06 after 2, 34 min since (110% of 31)
BACK Kornet back 12/01 after 3, 19 min since (103% of 18)
NEW Hauser 21 to 28 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 12/12 · 4 days' restOUT Scheierman missed 3 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 12/06 after 2, 32 min since (104% of 31)
BACK Kornet back 12/01 after 3, 16 min since (90% of 18)
BOS availability going into 12/15 · 2 days' restOUT Scheierman missed 4 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 12/06 after 2, 30 min since (96% of 31)
BOS availability going into 12/19 · 3 days' restOUT Scheierman missed 5 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 12/06 after 2, 28 min since (91% of 31)
BOS availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Scheierman missed 6 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 12/06 after 2, 28 min since (92% of 31)
BOS availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Hauser missed 2 since 12/19, returns tonight: 16 min (78% of 21)
OUT Scheierman missed 7 since 12/04, out tonight
BOS availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 12/21, returns tonight: 8 min (59% of 13)
OUT Scheierman missed 8 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Hauser back 12/23 after 2, 16 min since (78% of 21)
BOS availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Scheierman missed 9 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Hauser back 12/23 after 2, 15 min since (71% of 21)
BACK Queta back 12/25 after 2, 8 min since (59% of 13)
BOS availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Scheierman missed 10 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Hauser back 12/23 after 2, 16 min since (79% of 21)
BACK Queta back 12/25 after 2, 9 min since (64% of 13)
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 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; LaVine at 28 and Vučević at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 28 and Brown at 18 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Boston 116, Chicago 114, Chicago keeping it close.
12/08 vs PHI 100-108 — CHI notes
CHI lost 100-108. CHI shot 41% (35 of 86) to PHI's 47%, 19 of 54 from three. The glass went 35-56 against them. LaVine led with 30 (10 of 21, 6 of 14 from three); White added 13, Vučević 13. Q1 was theirs, 33-23, but the other 3 periods went 85-67 against them. They led by as many as 10. Dosunmu's -16 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/13 vs CHA 109-95 — CHI notes
CHI won 109-95. CHI shot 40% (37 of 93) to CHA's 36%, 14 of 51 from three. Dosunmu led with 19 (8 of 12, 3 of 6 from three); White added 18, Giddey 17. The hinge was Q2, 28-18: a lead of 5 became 15, and the lead reached 21. LaVine was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/16 @ TOR 122-121 — CHI notes
CHI won 122-121. CHI shot 46% (43 of 93) to TOR's 49%, 14 of 40 from three. CHI turned it over 12 times to TOR's 18. Vučević led with 24 (10 of 17, 2 of 4 from three); White added 19, Horton-Tucker 15. The hinge was Q1, 33-25: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 16.
12/19 @ BOS 117-108 — CHI notes
CHI won 117-108. CHI shot 45% (42 of 94) to BOS's 39%, 19 of 52 from three. CHI turned it over 10 times to BOS's 4. The glass went 56-45 for them. LaVine led with 36 (11 of 19, 6 of 11 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Dosunmu added 17, Vučević 16. The hinge was Q4, 35-22: CHI came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 9. CHI trailed 54-57 at the half and won the second half 63-51. Dosunmu was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/21 vs BOS 98-123 — CHI notes
CHI lost 98-123. CHI shot 38% (37 of 98) to BOS's 48%, 14 of 41 from three. The glass went 43-59 against them. Vučević led with 19 (8 of 19, 0 of 4 from three); LaVine added 14, White 14. Q1 was theirs, 28-28, but the other 3 periods went 95-70 against them. White's -23 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 vs MIL — 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 109 a night and allowing 111, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; LaVine at 23 and Vučević at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Giddey (2 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 34 and Lillard at 23 a game. Without Lillard (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the arc, Milwaukee at 39 percent from three to Chicago's 34 and the glass, where Milwaukee has been minus-2 a night and Chicago minus-6. Call it Chicago 114, Milwaukee 113, Milwaukee keeping it close.
12/26 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Young at 27 and Hunter at 22 a game. Without Okongwu (3 straight), Gueye (22 straight). 2 days' rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 18 free throws a game; LaVine at 19 and Vučević at 19 a game. Without Giddey (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the arc, Atlanta at 40 percent from three to Chicago's 31 and the turnovers, Atlanta giving it away 18 times a game to Chicago's 13. Call it Atlanta 117, Chicago 113, Chicago keeping it close.
12/28 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 121, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 15 free throws a game; LaVine at 25 and Vučević at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Giddey (4 straight), Ball (2 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 106, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 16 free throws a game; Portis at 18 and Lopez at 16 a game. Without Lillard (4 straight), Antetokounmpo (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Milwaukee allowing 106 a night to Chicago's 121 and the glass, where Milwaukee has been plus-0 a night and Chicago minus-4. Call it Milwaukee 115, Chicago 113, Chicago keeping it close.
12/30 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 113, shooting 42 percent and 30 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ball at 29 and Bridges at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Gra. Williams (15 straight), Mann (16 straight), Simpson (6 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 119, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 12 free throws a game; LaVine at 23 and Vučević at 19 a game. Without Dosunmu (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, and the game turns on the line, where Charlotte takes 23 free throws a game to Chicago's 12 and the arc, Chicago at 36 percent from three to Charlotte's 30. Call it Charlotte 114, Chicago 112, Chicago keeping it close.
12/07 vs MEM 121-127 — BOS notes
BOS lost 121-127. BOS took 11 more shots (105 to 94), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to MEM's 50%, 18 of 60 from three. Holiday led with 23 (8 of 26, 4 of 17 from three); Brown added 22, Pritchard 22. Q3 was theirs, 35-28, the deficit cut from 12 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 99-86 against them. Brown's -17 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/12 vs DET 123-99 — BOS notes
BOS won 123-99. BOS shot 51% (46 of 90) to DET's 43%, 20 of 48 from three. BOS turned it over 14 times to DET's 8, and DET turned those into 8 steals. Pritchard led with 27 (10 of 20, 7 of 15 from three); White added 23, Porziņģis 19. The hinge was Q1, 27-16: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 32. Brown was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
12/15 @ WAS 112-98 — BOS notes
BOS won 112-98. BOS shot 43% (40 of 93) to WAS's 40%, 18 of 46 from three, and went to the line 24 times to WAS's 8 — 14 points from the stripe to their 5. Tatum led with 28 (12 of 26, 2 of 9 from three); Pritchard added 15, White 15. The hinge was Q1, 34-23: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Hauser was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
12/19 vs CHI 108-117 — BOS notes
BOS lost 108-117. BOS shot 39% (38 of 97) to CHI's 45%, 14 of 56 from three. BOS turned it over 4 times to CHI's 10. The glass went 45-56 against them. Tatum led with 31 (10 of 22, 4 of 11 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Porziņģis added 20, Brown 19. Q1 was theirs, 25-21, but the other 3 periods went 96-83 against them. Brown's -19 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/21 @ CHI 123-98 — BOS notes
BOS won 123-98. BOS shot 48% (48 of 100) to CHI's 38%, 15 of 45 from three. The glass went 59-43 for them. Tatum led with 43 (16 of 24, 9 of 15 from three); Porziņģis added 22, Brown 19. The hinge was Q3, 32-23: a lead of 7 became 16, and the lead reached 29. Pritchard was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
12/23 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 30 from three, 24 free throws a game; Suggs at 19 and Bitadze at 15 a game. Without Banchero (25 straight), Wagner (5 straight), Harris (11 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 108, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 30 and Porziņģis at 18 a game. Without Hauser (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Boston 111, Orlando 109, Orlando keeping it close.
12/25 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 104, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 34 and Brown at 20 a game. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; Maxey at 29 and Embiid at 18 a game. Without Edwards (9 straight), McCain (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 104 a night to Philadelphia's 112 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 26 free throws a game to Boston's 20. Call it Boston 115, Philadelphia 106.
12/27 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 34 and Brown at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 107, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Nembhard at 17 a game. Without Nesmith (25 straight), Isa. Jackson (25 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Indiana at 39 percent from three to Boston's 33. Call it Boston 116, Indiana 110.
12/29 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 32 and Brown at 28 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Holiday (2 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Nembhard at 17 a game. Without Nesmith (26 straight), Isa. Jackson (26 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-6 a night and Indiana minus-0. Call it Boston 119, Indiana 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
JW J. Walsh
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
XT X. Tillman
CHIAD A. Dosunmu
CW C. White
DT D. Terry
JC J. Carter
JP J. Phillips
JS J. Smith
LB L. Ball
MB M. Buzelis
NV N. Vučević
PW P. Williams
TH T. Horton-Tucker
VU Vucevic
ZL Z. LaVine
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
Tatum scores a season-high 43 to go with 16 rebounds, 10 assist in Celtics 123-98 win over Bulls
CHICAGO -- — Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 43 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists for his third career triple-double and the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 123-98 on Saturday night.
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, the 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 Vucevic scored 19 points and 10 assists 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: Shot only 37.9%, missing on airballs and even missed dunks. Guard Josh Giddey missed his second game (ankle) 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 to 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.
Up next The Celtics play at Orlando on Monday night and the the Bulls host Milwaukee.