Boston Celtics Dominate the Chicago Bulls

For the first 24 minutes on Monday night, the Boston Celtics looked exactly like a team battling heavy legs and jet lag. Fortunately for them, the Chicago Bulls looked even worse.

Despite a shooting performance that set the game of basketball back a few decades in the first half, Boston relied on a second-half explosion from Anfernee Simons to secure a 115-101 victory at TD Garden. The win pushes the Celtics (23-12) past the Knicks for sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference, proving that sometimes you just have to win ugly.

Celtics Survive a First-Half Brick-Fest

If you missed the first quarter, count yourself lucky. It was a defensive struggle, to put it politely, or an offensive disaster if you’re being honest. The Bulls managed a measly 14 points in the opening frame.

Boston wasn’t exactly lighting it up either, shooting just over 35% from the field in the first half. Jaylen Brown, fresh off his spectacular 50-point masterpiece against the Clippers in LA, looked like a guy who left his jump shot at baggage claim. He started 1-for-11 and finished the night with 14 points on a rough 6-of-24 shooting.

But this is where championship DNA kicks in. When the shots aren’t falling, you do the dirty work. The Celtics dominated the margins, crushing Chicago on the glass (64-49 rebounding edge) and turning Bulls turnovers into easy transition points. They built a 19-point halftime lead not because they were good, but because they simply played harder.

Payton Pritchard and Simons Flip the Awitch

While the starters struggled to find a rhythm, the “Stay Ready” crew saved the day. Payton Pritchard was the only source of offense early on, pouring in 21 points. In typical Pritchard fashion, he drained an off-balance, fading three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, sending the Garden crowd into a frenzy and giving the team a massive emotional lift heading into the locker room.

Then came the Anfernee Simons show. Simons didn’t score a single point in the first half. He missed all three of his shots. But shooters shoot, and in the second half, the rim looked like an ocean. Simons erupted for 27 points in the final two quarters, including a ridiculous stretch where he scored 18 consecutive points for Boston. He was hitting from deep, getting to the line, and essentially telling the Bulls to go home.

What’s Next For the Celtics

This wasn’t a Picasso. It was a gritty, grind-it-out win against a shorthanded Bulls team missing key pieces like Josh Giddey and Zach Collins. But in an 82-game season, style points don’t count in the standings.

The Celtics have now won four straight and eight of their last nine. They survived the “trap game” and banked a win on a night when their best player couldn’t buy a bucket. That’s the sign of a contender. They’ll need to rest up quickly, though. Nikola Jokic might be out, but the Denver Nuggets are coming to town on Wednesday, and they won’t be as forgiving as the Bulls.