The Boston Celtics were dealt their first loss of the season in a 120-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls at United Center on Monday night.
The Celtics move to 3-1 on the year, and the Bulls moved to 2-2 on the season.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics started out on fire, and it looked like another routine win for Boston. The C’s started 8-for-11 on 3-pointers and were up by as much as 19 in the first quarter. But a poor second quarter where they went 3-for-16 on 3-pointers allowed the Bulls to go up double-digits at the half, thanks to a 35-15 run in the second quarter. Boston was unable to build consistency on offense in the second half, and the frustrations mounted even more after interim head coach Joe Mazzulla and forward Grant Williams were ejected from the game. There was question as to how legitimate the ejections were, but they were a microcosm of how the Celtics played Monday night.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jayson Tatum kept Boston’s offense on pace, but he alone couldn’t get the Celtics past Chicago. The forward led all scorers with 26 points, and he added in eight rebounds and five assists.
— DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls in scoring with 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting, and the Bulls forward had five rebounds and assists apiece.
— Nikola Vucevic was unstoppable on the boards against Boston. The All-Star center had a double-double of 18 points and 23 rebounds. He also dished out five assists.
WAGER WATCH
Tatum had +140 odds to lead the game in scoring. A $100 bet on the Celtics forward would have paid out $240.
UP NEXT
The Celtics will head back to TD Garden to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. ET
