Celtics vs. Bulls: Play-by-play, highlights and reactions

The Boston Celtics (50-30) play against the Chicago Bulls (35-35) at United Center

Game Time: 8:00 PM EDT on Wednesday April 6, 2022

Boston Celtics 117, Chicago Bulls 94 (Final)

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Jay King @ByJayKing
“As far as schematically, what we do travels well into the playoffs.”
In some ways, the Celtics think they’re built for the grind ahead. My story: theathletic.com/3235830/2022/0… – 1:24 AM Boston Celtics @celtics
We dominated the Bulls from start to finish Wednesday night with a 117-94 win – our 50th of the season. pic.twitter.com/c7GJHy1qt7 – 1:06 AM Chuck Swirsky @ctsbulls
The Bulls take Thursday off and get back at it Friday vs. the Hornets. It’s the last regular season home game before the playoffs. Bulls Nation is terrific and thank you for your support. Always a pleasure. Friday: 6:45 pre @670TheScore @Audacy @Chicago Bulls – 1:00 AM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
“When I look at our guys when they call timeouts, I see it in their eyes. Everybody’s locked in. We understand that we can’t relax.”
The Celtics don’t blow leads anymore. They just pulverize teams. That’s how it went in Chicago.
bostonglobe.com/2022/04/06/spo… – 12:24 AM John Karalis @John_Karalis
BSJ Game Report: Celtics 117, Bulls 94 – Another big blowout win as C’s get to 50 wins
bostonsportsjournal.com/2022/04/07/bsj… – 12:23 AM Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Terance Mann night over as Xavier Moon comes in
At some point, I’d expect Brandon Boston to grab Powell – 12:20 AM Tom Westerholm @Tom_NBA
This is what the Celtics do to you these days – high screen-and-roll, then pick at you with passes until your defense springs a leak and they get an open shot. pic.twitter.com/QIYZNqblMa – 12:19 AM Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
If the Celtics outscore the Bucks and Grizzlies by a combined 22 points in the final two games, they will be the NBA’s most dominant road team of the last decade. pic.twitter.com/7bsVwWwQZf – 12:08 AM Jay King @ByJayKing
Marcus Smart on the level Al Horford is playing at: “It’s inspirational man. Al’s been doing this for a very long time. And as a young guy, when you see that, it’s kind of hard for you not to go out there and give out that same energy he’s giving.” – 11:31 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Marcus Smart on playing in front of President Obama: “I wish my mom was here to see that. But she’s watching, smiling over me. She saw that. That’s definitely a highlight of my life and my career to play in front of somebody like that. That’s the biggest celebrity in the world.” – 11:30 PM Dane Moore @DaneMooreNBA
The bottom 10 defenses in the NBA over the last two weeks…
21. Clippers
22. Bulls
23. Bucks
24. Nuggets
25. Jazz
26. Timberwolves
27. Hornets
28. Blazers
29. Lakers
30. Pacers – 11:29 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Bucks appear to be close to a full go injury wise for Celtics matchup Thursday night. Grayson Allen (hip) is doubtful, Giannis is probable and no other rotation players on injury report. – 11:28 PM Chuck Swirsky @ctsbulls
Our regular season series with @Boston Celtics is over. Many thanks to @bos_celtics_pr for their assistance this season. Safe travels. – 11:23 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Marcus Smart on playing in front of former president Barack Obama: “I wish my mom was here to see that, but she’s watching, smiling over me. She saw that. So that’s definitely a highlight of my life, my career, to play in front of somebody like that.” – 11:20 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Marcus Smart on resting down the stretch: “I’m a competitor, so I want to play. But I want to be fresh for the playoffs. Whatever decision Ime makes, we’ll roll with that. (laughs) I’m not gonna say no more.” – 11:18 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Jaylen Brown has scored 25+ in 10 straight games, the longest active streak in the NBA.
His averages:
28.5 PPG
55.7 FG%
50.0 3P%
(Submitted by @hayabozo) pic.twitter.com/iQOKehzpaw – 11:18 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Marcus Smart on resting one of last two games: “Whatever decision Ime makes, we are going to roll with it.” – 11:18 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Marcus Smart on Al Horford: “When you see Al doing what he does, it gets you going. I mean, we’ve all got fresher legs than he does, but he’s out there outrunning everyone. When Al brings it the way he does, everyone else has no excuse not to bring it too.” – 11:16 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Patrick Williams says he “lacked confidence” several times contesting Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown tonight and felt the defense lacked physicality.
“We come out lackadaisical sometimes. … We’ve got to play physical and communicate and everything else will take care of itself.” – 11:14 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
LIVE: Patrick Williams media availability following tonight’s game against the Celtics twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… – 11:10 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
Bulls running out of answers after latest loss, and time to find them. Two more games left to figure something out … anything.
Read it:
chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2022/4/6… – 11:06 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Billy Donovan on what it will take for the Bulls to compete in the postseason: “There’s a determination, a fight, a competitiveness that you have to have this time of year because you are dealing on margins. That’s what you’re fighting for — margins.” – 11:00 PM Andrew Greif @AndrewGreif
Isaiah Hartenstein hits a three. He lobbied Ty Lue last week in Chicago to shoot more from deep by showing Lue video of an 8-three-pointer night in the G League. – 10:58 PM Darnell Mayberry @DarnellMayberry
Zach LaVine: “Offensively and defensively, we’re disconnected right now.” – 10:57 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Al Horford logged his 15th double-double of the season as we put together yet another coast-to-coast win, this time in Chicago. nba.com/celtics/gamere… – 10:53 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Al Horford on how he’s doing physically as the playoffs arrive: “I’m doing OK.”
Definitely sounded like a dude who could rest tomorrow against the Bucks. – 10:50 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Zach LaVine on the frustration after tonight’s loss: “We look like a totally different team right now and it’s upsetting. … If I could put my finger on it, we’d be fixing it.” – 10:50 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Al Horford on how he feels heading into the playoffs: “I’m feeling ok. Let’s see how I feel tomorrow morning. This season, I’ve been able to stay healthy most of the season. Our medical staff has done a great job with me and has kept me on the court.” – 10:49 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Zach LaVine: “We look like a totally different team right now. And it’s upsetting.” – 10:49 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Zach LaVine on the current state of the Bulls with two games left in the regular season: “Offensively and defensively, we’re disconnected right now.” – 10:47 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Zach LaVine: “Offensively and defensively we’re disconnected right now.” – 10:47 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Billy Donovan on noticing cracks in the Bulls even during their winning streaks earlier in the season: “When you’re winning, you have a false sense of reality of who you are.”
Adds that the same is true when teams are losing, too. – 10:47 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Al Horford didn’t commit to playing tomorrow. Said he’ll see how his body feels. Said the Celtics need to make sure their healthy as they can be for the playoffs. – 10:46 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Al Horford on potentially resting tomorrow night: “I’m just going to do what I have to do to stay ready. So, we’ll see about tomorrow. The big thing for us to be at our best is health-wise to take care of ourselves physically.” – 10:46 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
LIVE: Zach LaVine media availability following tonight’s game against the Celtics twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… – 10:45 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Al Horford on holding big leads: “It starts with focus. I see it in timeouts. Guys are locked in. You can’t get rattled. Just because we’re up 20, doesn’t mean we’re going to start jacking shots. We keep playing the right way and that leads to good things.” – 10:44 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Al Horford on his chemistry with Daniel Theis: “We feel good playing with one another. We’re reading each other, trying to make plays, trying to make the game easy.” – 10:44 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Al Horford said he and Daniel Theis are playing well together: “We’re reading each other. We’re trying to make plays.” – 10:43 PM Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop
Someone apparently convinced Aaron Nesmith he’s a shooter. Even in some mop-up duty, he’s come in firing away with no hesitation in his last three appearances — 12-17 overall, including 7-11 on 3-pointers.
Shooters have to be instinctive and trust the work they’ve put in. – 10:39 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Coach Udoka: “Health and playing our best basketball are paramount going into the playoffs, and that’s what we’re doing right now. Two more games to fine-tune some things, figure out what we’re gonna do, and go from there.” – 10:39 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Ime Udoka said the Celtics will discuss potentially resting players for tomorrow’s game. Nothing on that front has been determined yet. – 10:38 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka on how the Celtics will approach tomorrow’s game at the Bucks: “It’s something we’ll discuss. We’ll see how guys feel. I haven’t predetermined anything. We’ll get with the medical team and see what we’re doing tomorrow.” – 10:38 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Ime Udoka on whether Celtics will rest guys against Bucks: “That’s something we will discuss…we will see how guys feel.” – 10:38 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
LIVE: Coach Billy Donovan media availability following tonight’s game against the Celtics twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… – 10:35 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Ime Udoka on Celtics maintaining big leads in last few months: “We are defending at a high level and we kind of get stops on command when we need to.” – 10:34 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics standings watch:
1. MIA – 2.0 GB
2. BOS
3. MIL – 0.5 UP
4. PHI – 0.5 UP
BOS can fall no further than 4th.
5. TOR – 1.5 UP on CHI
6. CHI – 1.5 GB
7. CLE – 1.0 UP on BKN/ATL
8. BKN – 1.0 GB of CLE (have tiebreaker over ATL)
9. ATL – 1.0 GB
10. CHA – 1.5 GB on BKN/ATL – 10:34 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
Bulls highlight from the United Center tonight… pic.twitter.com/pvfQHxClmv – 10:32 PM Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
The NBA East with four days left…
Celtics at Milwaukee tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/T81sM4dSIY – 10:28 PM Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
With the Celtics winning tonight, the Heat can only clinch the East’s No. 1 playoff spot tomorrow if the Celtics lose to the Bucks and the 76ers lose to the Raptors. – 10:26 PM Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
NEW: Wednesday night update: Where the Heat stands and scenarios involving first-round opponent after wins tonight by Brooklyn, Atlanta and Boston: miamiherald.com/sports/spt-col… – 10:26 PM Darnell Mayberry @DarnellMayberry
Final: Celtics 117, Bulls 94.
DeMar DeRozan: 16/2/5
Nikola Vučević: 13/7/1
Tristan Thompson: 10/6/1
Coby White: 10/3/2
The Bulls are now 45-35 and fall 1.5 games behind Toronto for sixth place. – 10:26 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
Bulls embarrassed again, technicals handed out … let’s call it the Boston T Party … Print it! #dadjokes – 10:25 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Jaylen shows off the handles and buries the mid-range in tonight’s @JetBlue Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/sA1ICTufZp – 10:25 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics win 117-94
Brown – 25/7/4/4/1
Tatum – 16/10/8/2/1
Horford – 17/10/2/2/1
Theis – 15 points
White – 10 points
Celtics – 48.9% FGs
Celtics – 17-37 threes
Celtics – 29 assists
DeRozan – 16 points
Vucevic – 13 points
Bulls – 43.8% FGs
Bulls – 7-23 threes
Bulls – 17 turnovers – 10:25 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
The Bulls fall 1.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors with tonight’s loss to the Celtics, deepening their position in the sixth seed. – 10:24 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
Final. pic.twitter.com/sKvnOTXrAa – 10:24 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Wire-to-wire #CelticsWin pic.twitter.com/IebOM5eArL – 10:23 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Celtics beat Bulls 117-94. With the win Boston has secured a top-4 seed and home court advantage for the first round of the East playoffs. More takeaways: masslive.com/celtics/2022/0… – 10:23 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Final: Celtics 117, Bulls 94
Bulls are 45-35 (7-14 since the All-Star break) and trail 5th-place Raptors by 1.5 games with two to play – 10:22 PM Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
90 days ago, Celtics were 18-21, 11th in East.
tonight: 50-30, chance to secure the No. 2 seed with a win in Milwaukee on Thursday – 10:22 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Celtics 117, Bulls 94
(safe to come out now) – 10:22 PM Jamal Collier @JamalCollier
Bulls are now 1.5 games behind the Raptors for the No. 6 seed in the East. They finished 1-14 against the top 4 seeds in the conference (and they’ll see one of those teams in the playoffs)
Bucks: 0-4
76ers: 0-4
Heat: 0-4
Celtics: 1-2 – 10:22 PM David Hardisty @clutchfans
MAJOR choke by the Knicks as Nets win. Not the first time either. Big opportunity lost.
ATL won. Only realistic chance to push BKN to 9th now is if CLE can beat BKN on Friday *AND* ATL can win out (but they play in MIA) or CHA can win out (but they play in CHI). pic.twitter.com/Wn9nH3g0J9 – 10:20 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Grant to Nesmith on the break for 2⃣ pic.twitter.com/o6J78qtRRz – 10:19 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
The Celtics are about to have 50 wins. That seemed like a laughable goal around the holidays. – 10:17 PM Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
It’s a shame because they’ve been a great story all year, but I can’t see the Bulls getting more than 1 win in the playoffs – 10:14 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
With this loss, Bulls will:
—Fall 1.5 games behind 5th-place Raptors
—Drop to 1-14 vs. top-4 teams in East
—Drop to 6-14 over last 20 games – 10:13 PM Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
On January 7th, the Boston Celtics were 18-21.
Tonight in Chicago, they get win #50.
(And clinch home-court in the first round of the playoffs) – 10:13 PM Mike McGraw @McGrawDHSports
Dang, Luke Kornet got into the game before Simonovic. #Bulls – 10:08 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Luke Kornet minutes alert – 10:08 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
So…
How do Celtics and Bucks play it tomorrow night? Both go for the win and the 2 seed? One team sits guys? Let’s find out whose reserves are better for both teams?
What do you think? – 10:07 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Jaylen Brown threw Daniel Theis a perfect alley oop for Robert Williams – 10:06 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Jaylen Brown just threw a Robert Williams lob to Daniel Theis. Gotta throw it a littttlllleee lower now. – 10:05 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Thompson has finished off two PnRs with layups. I feel like he did that twice all of last season with Boston. – 9:57 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Q3 pic.twitter.com/IaE4t21NaM – 9:56 PM Austin Krell @NBAKrell
If the fourth quarter goes as expected, the Bulls will be 1-19 against the top 4 in the East + the top 3 in the West.
1-19. – 9:55 PM Chuck Swirsky @ctsbulls
We go to the 4th..Bulls down 91-67…what’s up Bulls Nation? – 9:55 PM Tom Westerholm @Tom_NBA
Watched some film of the last time the Celtics played the Bulls earlier today and maybe the biggest thing that stands out is the extent to which Dennis and especially Enes poked holes in the Celtics’ defense.
This is just a completely different team now. – 9:54 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics lead 91-67 after three
Brown – 21/4/3
Tatum – 16/10/8
Horford – 17/10
Theis – 13 points
Celtics – 50% FGs
Celtics – 14-30 threes
Celtics – 24 assists
DeRozan – 15 points
Vucevic – 13 points
White – 10 points
Bulls – 41.7% FGs
Bulls – 5-19 threes
Bulls – 13 turnovers – 9:54 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
End of Q3: Celtics 91, Bulls 67
Different night, same story – 9:53 PM Mike McGraw @McGrawDHSports
Celtics lead 91-67 at the end of 3Qs, are shooting 50% and I’d expect to see plenty of Marko Simonovic in this 4thQ – 9:53 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Hasn’t really mattered, but Tatum is in the midst of another 3-point shooting slump. Now 5 for 27 over his last 4 games. – 9:52 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Tatum: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists
Brown: 21 points, 4 rebound, 3 assists – 9:51 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Tatum reads these doubles so well now. And he’s perfectly content to get the ball moving. And White whipping passes, vs catching and surveying, gets guys really good looks. – 9:51 PM Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Brandon Boston Jr. is active for the first time in 15 days – 9:47 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Al Horford tonight:
17 points on 7-for-7 shooting
10 rebounds
Big part of holding Nikola Vucevic to 5-of-13 shooting. – 9:46 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
‘Member that time some of you wanted Boston in the first round cause Williams got hurt? That was awesome… pic.twitter.com/lH5YZ9Rvre – 9:45 PM Chris Herring @Herring_NBA
Horford killing the Bulls. (Everyone is, but especially Horford) – 9:44 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Al Horford playing like he’s underpaid at $27 million tonight. – 9:44 PM Tom Westerholm @Tom_NBA
Derrick White and Jaylen Brown are a combined 2-for-8 from the free-throw line. – 9:44 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics have missed 8 free throws tonight. That’s a lot of point left off the board for a very good free throw shooting team. – 9:43 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
What a night for Horford so far. – 9:43 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Celtics are:
12-26 from 3, 46.2%
7-15 from FT, 46.7% – 9:43 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
💦 @Jaylen Brown 💦 pic.twitter.com/GPeyFR8BRt – 9:43 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Vucevic joins the T party – 9:42 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
For whatever reason, Jayson Tatum has shot like crap against the Bulls this season. And it’s a lot of open misses too, so I don’t know how much of it is Chicago’s defense on him. – 9:41 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Marcus Smart has had some unreal moments in transition defense tonight. – 9:39 PM Darnell Mayberry @DarnellMayberry
President Barack Obama is in the building for Celtics-Bulls tonight. pic.twitter.com/EOuVx0VJ65 – 9:38 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Guessing Billy Donovan went to double-big look (Vucevic/Thompson) to try and offset Celtics’ size advantage at 4. Al Horford has been matched with DeMar DeRozan, and snatched a few offensive rebounds over him/posted him up. Celtics have 7 OREBs as a team – 9:35 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
SHE SAID YES! 💍
During halftime, our Chicago Luvabulls Captain had a surprise of a lifetime. Congratulations to Julia and Ransom on their engagement 🎉 pic.twitter.com/KfiLUjAfe8 – 9:33 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Bulls testing out the Vooch/Thompson pairing again down 20 to the Celtics. Donovan toyed with that lineup in a few of Thompson’s first games with the Bulls, but hasn’t used it frequently. – 9:32 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
For a team with a ton of vets, the Bulls do some really silly stuff. – 9:31 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Donovan trying the Vucevic-Thompson lineup again. Which in previous experiments wasn’t a smash success. – 9:30 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
YUP pic.twitter.com/diXWGFzngx – 9:29 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Barack Obama in the house for Bulls-Celtics.
Need to get 44’s thoughts on 44. Because you know the former POTUS has some. Huge Chicago sports fan. – 9:29 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
A major rarity: The Celtics forced the Bulls to go big and put Thompson in the game with Vucevic.
Billy Donovan was clearly not happy with how easy things have been for Boston inside. – 9:28 PM Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
72-51, Boston, early 3-4rd.
That’s the 29th 20-point lead for the Celtics this year…their 19th in the last 42 games.
It’s their 18th 20-point lead on the road.
39 road games…a 20-point lead in nearly half of them. – 9:28 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
LaVine isn’t himself. No explosion. Doesn’t have his regular quickness. Horford is a very good defender, but he easily contained Lavine off the dribble a couple of plays ago. – 9:27 PM Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Ayo Dosunmu is 17-for-18 FG against the #Celtics this season. #Bulls – 9:27 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Celtics had some really flashy passes, then over-passed, then Smart chucked in a deep 3 before the shot-clock buzzer, and it’s been that kind of night. – 9:25 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Story of the game so far is the Bulls are making all their mid-rangers, especially DeRozan. But Chicago can’t stop turning it over and can’t make a three.
For the Celtics, they are getting whatever they want on offense. Just need to keep moving the ball. – 9:14 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics lead 68-51 at the half
Theis – 13 points
Tatum – 11/5/7
Horford – 11/5/2/2/1
Brown – 11 points
Celtics – 57.8% FGs
Celtics – 9-18 3s
Celtics – 20 assists on 26 hoops
DeRozan – 15 points
Vucevic – 9 points
Jones – 7 points
Bulls – 52.8% FGs
Bulls – 3-11 3s
Bulls – 10 TOs – 9:11 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
Halftime.
DeRozan: 15pts/3ast/2reb
Vucevic: 9pts
Jones Jr.: 7pts pic.twitter.com/h2wIWR9u1v – 9:09 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Halfway through in Chicago pic.twitter.com/GmhUo7sMdD – 9:09 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
The latest on Lonzo’s season-ending shutdown, and an Alex Caruso update … all in one click … unbelievable if you ask me.
Read it:
chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2022/4/6… – 9:08 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Halftime: Celtics 67, Bulls 51
DeRozan: 15 pts
Celtics have 20 assists and are shooting 57.8%. Bulls have more turnovers (10) than assists (8) – 9:08 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Celtics 67, Bulls 51 at half
DeRozan 15 pts
LaVine 1-5 FGs
Bulls 10 TOs
Bulls 3-11 3 PTs
Theis 13 pts
Brown 11 pts
Tatum 11 pts, 7 assts, 5 rebs
Horford 11 pts
Celtics 57.8% FGs
Celtics 9-18 3PTs – 9:08 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Celtics appear to be challenging what would be the third foul on Marcus Smart. – 9:06 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka challenged that foul call against Marcus Smart.
Smart was adamant that he didn’t foul. – 9:05 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Looking like a triple-double kind of night for Tatum. 11 pts 7 assts 5 rebs here in the second. – 9:03 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Jayson Tatum is really good at basketball. – 9:03 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
The feed
The flush pic.twitter.com/o0cU7fmawl – 9:03 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Tatum on triple double watch again… 6 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds in the first half – 9:02 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Jayson Tatum has 7 assists in the first half. – 9:01 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Al Horford has been the best player on court in first half tonight: 11 points, 5/5 FG, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block – 9:01 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Some incredible ball movement for Celtics so far tonight. 18 assists on 21 FGs. – 8:59 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Bulls have more TOs in 1st half than they’ve had all game in 3 of last 4 games.
Billy Donovan raised the recent low TOs in his pregame comments and made crack about hoping it didn’t change tonight. – 8:58 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
This went in Boston’s favor but I HATE the wait for it to fall before the whistle is blown call. Call the foul or don’t. If the guy earns the 3 point play, give it to him. – 8:58 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Four fouls on Patrick Williams, so he exits
That last one was questionable, to say the least – 8:57 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Four fouls on Patrick Williams. – 8:57 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Patrick Williams has 4 fouls – 8:56 PM Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
Tyler Herro is shooting 40% from three this season on a little under 7 attempts a game
The only players with a higher % with at least 6.5 threes attempted:
Kyrie Irving (on SMALL sample size)
Anfernee Simons
Lonzo Ball (on SMALL sample size)
Desmond Bane
Max Strus
“Chucker” – 8:54 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Tatum is never going to hear the end of it from Green after that block. – 8:54 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
A youth league game broke out for a minute there.
Well, minus Javonte Green flying through the air for a block. – 8:53 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
A wild sequence that featured bodies diving for loose balls and an incredible block by Javonte Green on Jayson Tatum ends with a Patrick Williams TO, the Bulls’ 9th. – 8:53 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Javonte Green with some buddy-on-buddy crime with that crazy block of Tatum on a fast break (that may have been a goaltend) – 8:53 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Folks, Javonte Green can still fly. – 8:52 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Daniel Theis currently leads the Celtics with 11 point on 5-7 shooting. – 8:49 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Derrick Jones Jr. just took a tumble while attempting to drive to the basket and went down holding his face.
He’s been adding a nice spark off the bench to help facilitate this Bulls run to cut the lead down to 11, but looks like he’s in some pain on the sideline. – 8:48 PM Chuck Swirsky @ctsbulls
Bulls Nation..where are you listening–a shout out with YOUR name will be delivered @670TheScore @Audacy @Chicago Bulls radio – 8:46 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Since Billy Donovan whistled for time down 31-14, Bulls are on a 14-6 run. Within 37-28. Some nice defensive moments for Derrick Jones Jr. and Javonte Green in that stretch – 8:45 PM Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
Tristan Thompson whistled for a moving screen in first quarter and @celticsvoice casually offers, “Tristan Thompson, who is taking a check from Chicago these days.” 😂 – 8:44 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Good timeout by Ime Udoka. Boston’s offense has gotten a little sticky here to open Q2. – 8:44 PM Mike McGraw @McGrawDHSports
Derrick Jones Jr. and Javonte Green are making a push for being in the playoff rotation. #Bulls playing better, but still trail Boston 37-28 early 2ndQ – 8:44 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics lead 32-19 after one
Brown – 8 points
Horford – 7/4/2/2/1
Theis – 7 points
Tatum – 6/3/2
Celtics – 57.1% FGs
Celtics – 9 assists on 12 baskets
LaVine – 5 points
DeRozan – 4 points
Vucevic – 4 points
Bulls – 42.1% FGs
Bulls – 0-5 threes
Bulls – 5 turnovers – 8:37 PM Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
The Tatum-Javonte Green reunion is always fun. pic.twitter.com/rc8o7c3T42 – 8:37 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Dialed in 🔘 pic.twitter.com/kq3YAw6yA3 – 8:36 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
Got work to do.
LaVine: 5pts
Vuc/DeMar: 4pts pic.twitter.com/9dNjcYaSKI – 8:36 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
The Bulls open up with five turnovers and 0-for-5 shooting from 3-point range to allow a 32-19 Celtics lead after the first quarter.
And this could be a preview of the first round of the playoffs… – 8:36 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
End of Q1: Celtics 32, Bulls 19
Celtics carved Bulls to tune of 57.1 percent shooting and 9 assists. Bulls have 5 turnovers – 8:36 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Horford and Theis in that first quarter: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block. Not bad. – 8:35 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
And this is the good matchup?
Alarmingly poor start from the Bulls. who allowed 57 percent shooting and had trouble even catching passes en route to 5 TOs.
Bulls trail Celtics by 13 after 1. – 8:34 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
I love Javonte Green. – 8:34 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Celtics-Bulls first quarter takeaways:
Celtics should do whatever they need to do to face Bulls in first round. – 8:30 PM Tom Westerholm @Tom_NBA
The Bulls haven’t even come close to staying in front of Jaylen. – 8:29 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
JB in his bag 🔥 pic.twitter.com/O5Rozbl8xW – 8:28 PM Mike McGraw @McGrawDHSports
This has been an absurdly bad first quarter for #Bulls. Boston shooting 67% and lead 31-14. Bulls have been a couple of steps slow on defense and can’t catch up. – 8:28 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
I said it earlier this season and there was big-time blow-back. Let’s run it out there again:
Brown&Tatum > DeRozan&LaVine – 8:28 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
I don’t know about Coby White. I want to like his game, but it often feels like there’s a lot of dribbling to nowhere. Pounding the ball into a late-clock pullup without passing. – 8:27 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Another first quarter, another rout in progress.
Celtics are shooting 66.7 percent from the field and have forced 4 turnovers. There’s confidence in everything they’re doing.
31-14. – 8:27 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Derrick Jones Jr. getting another rotational crack after this timeout. – 8:27 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Celtics have already turned four Bulls turnovers into six points and Al Horford has been leading the break for a lot of that. Both of his assists have been to Daniel Theis – 8:26 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Not a lot of whistles in this game, so the Celtics five starters went basically the first nine minutes. That’s unusually long. White and Grant in for Tatum and Theis, as per usual. – 8:26 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Daniel Theis pointing to the bench after making a corner 3! Daniel Theis revenge game!! – 8:24 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
7 assists on 8 baskets for the Celtics to open this one. – 8:24 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Pretty sure Theis just pointed at Tristan Thompson after that 3. I would guess his old teammate was chirping him lol. – 8:23 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
I’d like to see Patrick Williams keep taking that pullup jumper. It’s a good shot for him, but he goes away from it too often. – 8:23 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Smart got caught overhelping there. Theis had cut LaVine off, but Smart came flying in an committed the foul.
As Ime Udoka said the other day: If the Celtics are as aggressive and physical if they want, they’re going to commit fouls. That’s the trade-off they’re willing to make. – 8:16 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Celtics are pouring in buckets right now, 5-6 overall with assists on all 5 baskets so far – 8:16 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
The Bulls have already turned the ball over three times.
Billy Donovan said he felt confident in the Bulls ball management coming into this game. That’s a key against the Celtics, who are relentless in forcing errors and turnovers. – 8:15 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Ball movement on point 🏀 pic.twitter.com/dgJrKCYyiU – 8:14 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
With the G League season over for Maine, both of the Celtics Two-Way players, Matt Ryan and Brodric Thomas, are active for tonight’s game.
Celtics inactives are Juwan Morgan (H&S protocols), Nik Stauskas (sprained ankle) and Rob Williams (knee surgery). – 8:13 PM Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
In Chicago tonight, Jayson Tatum just scored his 2,000th point of the season. pic.twitter.com/TzE0y6bepK – 8:13 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Al Horford hugs his college coach in Billy Donovan pregame and then comes out and scores 5 points and assists Theis on a dunk. – 8:12 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
Game time in the pinstripes! 👀🔴 pic.twitter.com/ElEvvLObBr – 8:12 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Great ball movement for the Celtics on their first couple of possessions. – 8:11 PM Mike McGraw @McGrawDHSports
Will this be a Daniel Theis revenge game or is he still mad at the Celtics for trading him to the #Bulls in the first place? – 8:11 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Curious to see if Boston uses Theis in the roamer role tonight. Horford on Vucevic and Theis “guarding” Williams, but really roaming and helping on drivers. – 8:10 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
stretch it out pic.twitter.com/J2DPiHybJi – 8:05 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
👀🔴 – 8:00 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
The PAW! 👀
@MOR_Docs | @Patrick Williams pic.twitter.com/p9LwKGMSY7 – 7:59 PM Rich Hoffman @rich_hofmann
Just an insane final week for playoff position.
Not only may 2-3-4 in the East have to play the scariest playoff guy in the league (Durant), one of the other scenarios is they may have to play without a starter (or two, depending on what’s the case in Boston) on the road. – 7:49 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Back at it pic.twitter.com/Z0ORI7Ojva – 7:48 PM Chuck Swirsky @ctsbulls
Bulls ball rollin from ⁦@UnitedCenter⁩ ⁦@Chicago Bulls⁩ ⁦@670TheScore⁩ ⁦@Audacy⁩ pic.twitter.com/szu425M1iY – 7:43 PM Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
Who has won the NBA awards throughout history?
A look by position.
(If Marcus Smart wins DPOY, it will be quite the exception to the norm). pic.twitter.com/Qc1pSxCuF4 – 7:43 PM Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
Celtics at Bulls – United Center – April 6, 2022 – Starting Lineups
Boston – Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford, Theis
Chicago – Ayo Dosunmu, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Nic Vucevic
OUT: Boston: R. Williams, Stauskas Chicago: Alex Caruso, Lonzo Ball, Matt Thomas pic.twitter.com/9cARb6crT2 – 7:40 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
Zach in the New Balance TWO WXY.
@Zach LaVine | #BullsKicks pic.twitter.com/X3Eu8Ei31I – 7:38 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics starters tonight:
Daniel Theis
Al Horford
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Marcus Smart
Bulls starters:
Nikola Vucevic
Patrick Williams
DeMar DeRozan
Zach LaVine
Ayo Dosunmu – 7:38 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
Zach is back in the starting lineup tonight against Boston.
@FirstAlert | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/6kiPjxylq1 – 7:30 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and JAYSON Tatum have all been upgraded to available.
Y’all never fail to point out a typo! – 7:24 PM Mike McGraw @McGrawDHSports
Pregame stat of the night: Celtics have held the lead after the first quarter in 11 consecutive games. #Bulls – 7:18 PM Eric Nehm @eric_nehm
Here is the Bucks’ first injury report for Thursday’s game against the Celtics:
Probable: Giannis Antetokounmpo (right knee soreness)
Doubtful: Grayson Allen (left hip soreness)
OUT: DeAndre’ Bembry (right knee surgery) – 7:17 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Let’s get this trip started right #JetBlueRunway pic.twitter.com/qsshdGrzhh – 7:04 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Jaylen Brown (knee), Jayson Tatum (knee), and Al Horford (back) are all available tonight – 7:02 PM Jake Fischer @JakeLFischer
Tomorrow’s guest for ‘Please Don’t Aggregate This’ is @Michael Pina! Come join us from 4-5ET on @getcallin, talking Celtics, MVP race, and much more: callin.com/link/YkZyTBEMkj – 7:01 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
#NEBHInjuryReport update:
Jaylen Brown – AVAILABLE
Al Horford – AVAILABLE
Jayson Tatum – AVAILABLE – 6:58 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Derrick White shares which areas we’re looking to improve in before we face Chicago tonight. pic.twitter.com/xqgN0vO1Wq – 6:55 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka said that Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum are all going through pregame testing and the Celtics will decide on their availability after that. Udoka said it’s “The same as the last few games.” – 6:45 PM Boston Celtics @celtics
Coach Udoka: “Grant’s like a mini Al out there. He can do a lot of things – can guard 1 through 5, on-ball, off-ball, and everything in between.” – 6:43 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Bulls injury update vs. Celtics, per Billy Donovan:
IN — Zach LaVine, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr.
OUT — Alex Caruso, Matt Thomas – 6:31 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Alex Caruso is OUT for the Bulls tonight vs the Celtics. Zach LaVine will play, per Billy Donovan. – 6:23 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Zach LaVine will play tonight.
Alex Caruso is out with ongoing back pain. Woke up very sore this morning after last night’s game.
Billy Donovan says Alex just “isn’t moving right” with considerable stiffness and soreness in his back. – 6:22 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
New @FrontOfficeShow is up! @Trevor_Lane and I do a quick postmortem on the Lakers season, AD trade coming?, Lonzo done for the year, Clippers getting healthy, no more take fouls! and more. Watch, like and subscribe below. Almost at 17K subscribers now!
youtu.be/LiZm-cgAcAk – 6:21 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
Matt Thomas is out, so that’s a Bulls L coming tonight! – 6:21 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Alex Caruso out vs. Celtics. LaVine in. Per Donovan.
Matt Thomas also out. – 6:20 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
Zach is playing and Caruso is out with the back issues. – 6:20 PM Mike McGraw @McGrawDHSports
Zach LaVine will play tonight. Alex Caruso out. #Bulls – 6:20 PM Chuck Swirsky @ctsbulls
LaVine is a go. Caruso is out. – 6:20 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
It’s time for another @goaawol digital shirt toss.
RT now for a chance to win – the only way to get this shirt. pic.twitter.com/0TtDVUzwmU – 6:00 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
In due time
@ATT | @Lonzo Ball pic.twitter.com/ZfJAeloNhv – 4:30 PM Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
National TV schedule for Sunday – the final day of NBA regular season – just announced: Indiana-Brooklyn 3:30 on ESPN, Boston-Memphis 7 p.m. on TNT, Golden State-New Orleans 9:30 p.m. TNT… Bally Sports Sun has Heat-Magic at 7. – 4:19 PM Austin Krell @NBAKrell
Some TV updates from the NBA:
Sunday, April 10, 2022
• Indiana at Brooklyn will be televised by ESPN.
• Boston at Memphis will be televised by TNT.
• Golden State at New Orleans will be televised by TNT. – 4:11 PM Drew Hill @DrewHill_DM
Grizzlies/Celtics this Sunday is on TNT now. It could be an important game for Boston.
I’d be surprised if the Grizzlies don’t rest a ton of players on the second night of a back-to-back in a meaningless game. – 4:07 PM Damichael Cole @DamichaelC
Schedule update:
The Grizzlies are getting one more national TV game added to their schedule.
Memphis vs. Boston on Sunday, April 10th will now be nationally televised on TNT. – 4:04 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
NBA announces Celtics-Grizzlies Sunday night regular season finale will now be televised on TNT. Start time at 7 p.m. ET – 4:04 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics vs Grizzlies on Sunday at 7:00 PM ET will now air on TNT, per the NBA. – 4:04 PM Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
#Celtics–#Grizzlies have been added to the TNT schedule on Sunday at 7 ET. – 4:03 PM Brian Mahoney @briancmahoney
Sunday NBA TV news: Pacers-Nets to ESPN; Celtics-Grizzlies and Warriors-Pelicans to TNT. – 4:02 PM A. Sherrod Blakely @ASherrodblakely
Will Tatum & Brown Elevate Their Game in Playoffs? | A List Podcast w/ @A. Sherrod Blakely, @Gary Washburn & @KwaniALunis | Powered by @betonline_ag (USE Code CLNS50) twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… – 4:00 PM Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls
Our biggest Drop yet 👀🔥
@hometown_design and @CONRAAAD teamed up to create a special deck of Chicago Bulls Playing Cards!
Join the drop in the Bulls App tomorrow (4/7) at 7pm CT for a chance to win a deck of cards, presented by @AmericanExpress! pic.twitter.com/PoO6ZmCr9y – 4:00 PM Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
As @Anthony Chiang and I calculated in our Miami Herald lab filled with test tubes, Heat cannot clinch No. 1 seed even if Celtics lose at Bulls tonight. If Heat loses out and Bucks and 76ers win out, Milwaukee gets No. 1 seed in 3-team tiebreaker. Boston wins 2-team tie with Heat – 3:58 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
New on BSJ: Very little playoff clarity, Robert Williams possibly back ‘sooner rather than later,’ and other Boston Celtics notes bostonsportsjournal.com/2022/04/06/ver… – 3:09 PM Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
📅 On this day in 1977, the @Boston Celtics John Havlicek became the fourth player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points.
Havlicek and LeBron James are the only players in NBA history to reach career totals of 25,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists. pic.twitter.com/mZmQOtFJcf – 2:01 PM