Celtics Wrap: Bulls Snap Boston’s Nine-Game Winning Streak

The Boston Celtics’ nine-game winning streak was snapped with a loss to the Chicago Bulls, 121-107, at United Center on Monday night.

The Celtics dropped to 13-4 on the year, while the Bulls improved to 7-10.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Is there something wonky about the lighting at United Center?

The Celtics suffered their second regulation loss of the season Monday night. It also happened to be their second regulation loss on the road in Chicago.

Other than just looking slow, and facing a desperate Bulls team, the biggest issue for the Celtics throughout the first three quarters was their reliance on the 3-point shot and overall bad shot selection coming back to bite them. Boston entered the night shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc, the second-best mark in the NBA. They entered the fourth quarter shooting just 43% from the field.

Despite that, Boston made things interesting in the fourth quarter. A 20-plus point lead was cut to 10 with around four minutes to go in the game. From there, the Celtics regressed back to what they had done earlier and continued to turn the ball over and miss shots, with Al Horford’s 0-for-9 performance from three serving as the icing on the cake. They never got closer than coming within 10 points and lost for the first time in three weeks.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Demar DeRozan has been superb against the Celtics as a member of the Bulls. He had 28 points and was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. He also chipped in with eight rebounds and four assists.

— Nikola Vucevic can be penciled in for a double-double when he plays against Boston. The 32 year old had 12 points and 13 rebounds in Chicago’s win, finishing as a plus-20 and had six assists.

— Jayson Tatum, even when looking like he’s having an off night, always seems to find a way to fill up the box score. He finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the loss. No other Celtic looked capable of running the offense down the stretch.

WAGER WATCH
DraftKings Sportsbook set the odds of Jayson Tatum opening up the scoring at +450 prior to the start of the game. His early 3-point shot cashed the bet for those believing in Boston’s All-NBA superstar, with a $100 bet paying out $550.

UP NEXT
The Celtics return to TD Garden on Wednesday for an extended homestand, opening things up against the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.