Bulls Coach Explains What Celtics Did That “Gave Them a Big Margin”

Fresh off a four-game West Coast road trip, the Boston Celtics were back in action on Monday, January 5, playing in front of their home fans at the TD Garden. Boston entered the game against the Chicago Bulls on a three-game winning streak, and although the team didn’t play at its best, it secured a 115-101 victory.

For most of the season, Boston’s rebounding has been an area of concern, specifically on the defensive glass. However, Joe Mazzulla’s team flipped the script against Chicago, dominating the offensive boards with 20 on the night.

During his postgame news conference, Chicago’s head coach, Billy Donovan, pinpointed those offensive rebounds as a key swing factor in the game.

“I don’t know what they ended up with for the game, maybe 26 I think it was? But I know that at the end of three quarters, they had 24 points off second-chance opportunities,” Donovan said. “I had mentioned before the game, I said, they get a lot of credit for their shooting, and how they are offensively, and they’re good, but a big big part of their offense is their ability to offensive rebound from all five spots.

We knew that coming in there… We did not make very many at all in the first half, but what gave them a big margin and disparity at the half was the offensive rebounding that they came up with.”

The Celtics finished the game with 26 second-chance points. Neemias Queta led the second-chance scoring for his team, getting eight of his 13 points following an offensive rebound. Queta also led the team in offensive boards, snatching six of them. Rookie Hugo Gonzalez ended the night with four offensive rebounds to his name, too.

The win over Chicago saw the Celtics leapfrog the New York Knicks to move into second in the Eastern Conference. Boston will now have the Detroit Pistons in their sights, with only 3.5 games separating the two teams.