Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics — Recap

📰Game Recap

The Boston Celtics established a significant early advantage, building a lead that the Chicago Bulls could not overcome despite a late surge. Boston opened the game with a dominant 44-25 first quarter and continued to control the scoring in the second, outscoring Chicago 34-24 to take a commanding lead into halftime. Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 30 points, including three 3-pointers on nine-of-17 shooting, while Jayson Tatum added 26 points and Paul George contributed 18 points, each connecting on two 3-pointers.

Pritchard also recorded three rebounds and three assists for Boston. Tatum complemented his scoring with seven rebounds and seven assists on nine-of-20 shooting, while George supplied six rebounds and a game-high eight assists. The Celtics' strong offensive execution in the first half proved critical to their success, a performance that aligned with SportsFBI's pregame model, which had leaned towards a Boston win at 81%.

Chicago began to chip away at the deficit in the third quarter, outscoring Boston 25-21. Caleb Wilson was a primary offensive contributor for the Bulls, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and six 3-pointers on seven-of-16 shooting. Norman Powell also added 16 points, two rebounds, and three assists for Chicago, hitting one 3-pointer on four-of-11 shooting.

The Bulls maintained their fourth-quarter effort, outscoring the Celtics 37-26. Despite Chicago's improved play in the second half, where they outscored Boston by a combined 62-47, the substantial lead built by the Celtics in the first half ultimately secured the victory.