BOSTON — Kristaps Porzingis scored 26 of his season-high 34 points in the first half, and the Boston Celtics coasted to a 122-100 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
The 7-foot-2 Porzingis made a season-best eight 3-point shots in 14 attempts with 11 rebounds over 33 minutes, helping Boston bounce back from a rough home loss to the Rockets on Monday.
Jaylen Brown added 28 points, Derrick White had 22 and Jayson Tatum 16 for the recently up-and-down Celtics, who are just 7-6 in their last 13 games.
Coby White led Chicago with 16 points in 31 minutes in his first game after missing four straight with an ankle injury. The Bulls have dropped eight of nine.
Bulls’ leading scorer Zach LaVine missed the game for personal reasons.
Tatum’s second of consecutive 3-pointers 15 seconds apart midway into the third quarter gave Boston its biggest lead of the game, 86-62.
The Bulls beat the Celtics in their previous trip to TD Garden on Dec. 19 when LaVine scored 36 points but were blown out by 25 points two days later at home.
TAKEAWAYS
Bulls: They certainly looked like they were missing LaVine’s team-high 24.0 points per game for stretches.
Celtics: Were focused from the start after the frustrating two-point loss against Houston. They opened a double-digit edge just over two minutes into the game.
KEY MOMENT
After the Celtics’ lead was sliced to six, they went on a 13-0 run over a nearly four-minute stretch midway in the second. Brown had nine points in the spree.
KEY STAT
Porzingis set his season-high in made 3s for a game by connecting on six in the opening half.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.