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Derrick White scored 28 points and Jayson Tatum followed with 25 to help the visiting Boston Celtics top the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on Thursday for their season-high seventh straight victory.
In their first game back from the All-Star break, the league-best Celtics shot 54.2 percent, including 48.9 percent from long range.
That compared to 46.8 percent overall and 35.7 percent from deep for the Bulls, who lost for the third time in four games.
Jaylen Brown (21 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (14) also scored in double figures for Boston.
Nikola Vucevic logged 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls. After scoring 20 points in the first half to match Brown, Vucevic did not make his first (and only) basket of the second half until 6:34 remained in the game.
Chicago's Coby White scored 20 points and DeMar DeRozan chipped in 18, while Ayo Dosunmu (14), Alex Caruso (12) and Andre Drummond (11) also finished in double figures.
Drummond added eight rebounds and Dosunmu dished a game-high eight assists.
Boston opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run to erase a three-point halftime deficit and never trailed after that. Chicago drew within five points midway through the quarter but was unable to keep pace. Tatum erupted for 15 points in the third quarter after scoring just five in the first half. He also led the team with seven rebounds.
The Celtics swished 23 3-pointers to the Bulls' 10.
After trailing by as many as 16 points in the early going, the Bulls regained their composure in a breakout second quarter. Chicago's 8-0 run to close the first period set the tone while helping offset a monster start for Derrick White, who had 12 points and three blocks in the first 12 minutes.
Chicago outscored Boston 39-28 in the second quarter to take a 62-59 advantage into halftime. The Bulls grabbed their first lead since 2-0 when Vucevic hit a pair of free throws with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter.
Torrey Craig (right knee) and Patrick Williams (left foot) missed the game for the Bulls.
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Golden State Warriors Expected To Sign Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Seth Curry After Jonathan Kuminga Situation Gets Resolved
The Golden State Warriors are expected to sign Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and Seth Curry after the Jonathan Kuminga situation gets resolved, according to NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Kuminga will likely sign the qualifying offer with the Warriors. “There is a strong expectation leaguewide now that the Warriors will also be signing Seth Curry in addition to the Al Horford/De’Anthony Melton/Gary Payton II trio,” Stein wrote. “Golden State currently has six roster spots open. It’s believed they will be filled by Horford, Melton, Payton, Stephen Curry‘s younger brother Seth, second-round pick Will Richard and, of course, Kuminga.” Horford played for the Boston Celtics last season, Melton and Payton II played for the Warriors and Seth played for the Charlotte Hornets. The Warriors offered Kuminga a three-year, $75.2 million contract with a team option in the third season last week. Kuminga declined the offer because he prefers a player option over a team option. Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, presented a three-year, $82 million offer — including a player option in Year 3 — to the Warriors. The front office, led by general manager Mike Dunleavy, rejected it. Kuminga’s qualifying offer is worth $7.9 million. If he signs it, the swingman would have a no-trade clause for the 2025-26 season and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason. Multiple teams will have cap space next offseason to pursue Kuminga, who averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks for the Warriors last season in 47 games. The 22-year-old Kuminga was the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks with the Warriors.
Andy Reid Sends Strong Message About Chiefs’ Suspended Star Ahead of Ravens Game
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their first win of the NFL season Sunday night, defeating the New York Giants 22-9 to improve to 1-2 heading into Week 4, where they’ll host a marquee matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore wraps up Week 3 on Monday night against the Detroit Lions, but their meeting with Kansas City will be a rematch of the 2023-24 AFC Championship Game, which the Chiefs won. Ahead of the showdown, Kansas City received a boost on Monday when suspended wide receiver Rashee Rice was welcomed back into the facility. While he’ll remain suspended for three more games, Rice is now allowed to be alongside his teammates, attend meetings, and prepare for his return in Week 7. However, he is still not permitted to practice with the team. The Chiefs have been very supportive of Rice, who was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s conduct policy following an off-field incident in March 2024. The 25 year old vowed to mature and learn from the mistake. "I've learned so much from that," he said back in June of 2024. "All I can do is mature and continue to grow from that. This is a step in a better direction for me." Head coach Andy Reid spoke about the value of having Rice’s presence back in the building, even if he can’t yet take the field. "We do get 4 back, and I know the guys will be fired up to see him," Reid said on Monday. "He can't practice, he can't be on the field. But it'll be good to have him around." Rashee Rice has been one of the Chiefs’ top targets since breaking out as a rookie, but his sophomore campaign was cut short after he suffered a torn ACL in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. As a rookie, he recorded 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 11.9 yards per catch. In four games last season, he added 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns before the injury. When he returns, Rice will be a major boost to a Chiefs offense that has been without both him and Xavier Worthy, who went down with an injury in Week 1.
Why did the Orioles activate star player during last week of season?
Ahead of the final six games of the season (all against American League East foes), the Baltimore Orioles have activated catcher Adley Rutschman. The move may have little to do with this season and everything about what the Orioles may do with Rutschman in the offseason. Sidelined with a right oblique strain since Aug. 21 (retroactive to Aug. 18), Rutschman has struggled this season, slashing just .227/.310/.373 with nine homers and 29 RBI. His OPS+ of 92 is the lowest in the four years he has been behind the plate in Baltimore. While the Orioles certainly would like to get the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft back behind the plate to finish out the season, this short six-game stint against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees may also serve as an audition for Rutschman should the Orioles decide to move him in the offseason. Why would the Orioles move on from Rutschman? After playing in just four games, Baltimore signed 21-year-old catcher Samuel Basallo to an eight-year extension worth $67M and could jump up to $88.5M with incentives. The deal means Basallo will be with Baltimore through the 2033 season and has an option to extend that to 2034 as well. With the Orioles investing so much in Basallo, could the 27-year-old Rutschman be on his way out of Charm City? Baltimore could well keep the younger and cost-controlled Basallo behind the plate and use Rutschman as a trade piece this offseason, helping the Orioles rebuild quickly from a season where they will likely finish in the division cellar. With Rutschman coming back, he has the chance to put a positive spin on what has been a disappointing season. If he can show well in the final six games, it could be a great selling point for the Orioles this offseason in any kind of trade talks surrounding him. Orioles are faced with one of two options with Basallo and Rutschman Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino has already hinted that Basallo and Rutschman could be in the same lineup together in 2026, emphasizing that Basallo could play first base (a position that could likely be his in 2026 if the Orioles decide to not push Coby Mayo there). Mansolino also added that between first base, catcher and designated hitter, there may be enough at-bats for both Basallo and Rutschman. If that's the case, Baltimore is believing that not only can Basallo play first base at an MLB-level (he has played there in one game so far this season) and Rutschman can bounce back from a down 2025. Baltimore could likely land a nice return package (perhaps centered around pitching) if it decides to trade Rutschman in the offseason, something that MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes will happen, writing, "There will be no bigger position player on the trade block this winter than Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman." These next six games may not determine much in the standings for the Orioles, but could give a hint about Rutschman's future and what is to come at catcher in 2026.
Juraj Slafkovský: JiC wants him out of the first line
Last year, at the end of the season, the Canadiens’ first line really took a big step forward. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovský took their game up a notch in the final weeks of the campaign, helping the club qualify for the playoffs.The three guys complement each other well on the ice, and they’ve figured out how to translate that into results.In the eyes of many, then, we should expect to see the three guys back together again at the start of the season. But there are those who see things differently. Jean-Charles Lajoie, who talked about it on his JiC show tonight, is one of them: in his eyes, the Habs need to get Slaf out of the first line.And the reason is simple: it would allow the Habs to have a much more balanced line-up. That way, for example, the club wouldn’t have to put Patrik Laine and Ivan Demidov on the same line and could avoid problems on the defensive end. Martin St-Louis could put one of these two guys on the first line and send Slaf to complete a second unit. And in essence, this point is defensible… except that the club would be taking a big risk. Right now, they only have one line that’s a real sure thing, and removing Slaf from that line (which was one of the best in the NHL last year) would mean the club would lose that advantage.If the club needs a jolt, splitting up the first line could be an option. But at the start of the season, I find it hard to imagine the Habs going ahead with such an idea… especially as we don’t even know if the second line will really be a problem defensively.As things stand, it would be a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul, in my eyes. But if Paul ever starts to get really cold (read here “the Laine-Demidov duo isn’t working”), maybe it’ll become an idea to consider.And when you see the three guys from the first line together in the same group at camp, it doesn’t look like this wardrobe makeover will happen tomorrow morning. ’Overtime’ – Big Patrik, that. – Indeed. – Great opportunity for
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