BOSTON — The Celtics have more forwards than they know what to do with, which means the best way for Boston’s big men to stay on the floor is to make the most of their opportunities when they get them.
Jared Sullinger certainly did that Friday night.
With Amir Johnson inactive due to personal reasons, head coach Brad Stevens relied heavily on Sullinger, starting him alongside Kelly Olynyk in the frontcourt and giving the big man 30 minutes of playing time. Sullinger responded by dropping a monster stat line on the Chicago Bulls: 18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“I thought he played well,” Stevens said of Sullinger’s effort. “He and Kelly have played well together before, so that combination did pretty well.”
Sullinger ran into shooting trouble in the third and fourth quarters, too often settling for mid-range jumpers and going 4 for 10 in the second half as a result. But he maintained his strong effort on the glass, ripping down four key rebounds in the fourth quarter as part of Boston’s strong finish.
“I thought that Jared controlled the boards and got his hands on balls,” Stevens added. “He made shots in the first half and made plays at the rim in the second.”
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Let’s hit a few other notes from Celtics-Bulls:
— Winter Storm Jonas has thrown quite the wrench in Boston’s travel plans.
The Celtics were scheduled to fly to Philadelphia on Friday night for the team’s game against the 76ers, which was moved from Saturday to Sunday at 7 p.m. ET due to the storm.
But Stevens announced after the game the team will stay in Boston to practice Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and hopefully leave for Philly on Saturday night or Sunday morning, depending on the weather.
“If there’s a window that opens up for us to travel (Saturday) night, we will,” Stevens said. “If not, we’ll just figure out how to get there Sunday as quickly as possible. Obviously, the NBA and we want to be there overnight, but like we talked about before, safety is the No. 1 issue, and we’ll make sure that’s prioritized.”
— As mentioned above, Johnson missed Friday’s game for personal reasons. He’s expected to return for Sunday’s game against the Sixers.
— Jordan Mickey sprained his ankle last Saturday while playing for the D-League affiliate Maine Red Claws. The Celtics rookie made an appearance in the locker room before Friday’s game and told reporters he’s still “a couple weeks” from returning to action.
It’s a tough roadblock for Mickey, who earned D-League Player of the Month in December and had been playing very well for the Red Claws before his injury.
“It was real disappointing,” Mickey said of his injury. “I was on a pretty good roll at that time. To go down with just an ankle sprain, it definitely hurt just knowing the pace I was going. But it’s a minor setback for a major comeback.”
— The push for Isaiah Thomas as an All-Star continues, as the 5-foot-9 guard still has a chance to earn a spot among the Eastern Conference’s reserves.
Sullinger offered his support for Thomas after the game, although he sold his teammate a bit short in the height department.
“I’d be shocked if he wasn’t in the All-Star Game,” Sullinger said of Thomas. “The guy’s averaging 20 (points) and seven (rebounds) and he’s 5-foot-2. Why not put someone like that in the All-Star Game?”
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
