The Boston Celtics didn’t look like themselves in Thursday’s 117-108 home loss to the Chicago Bulls. Boston tied a franchise record by missing 42 3-point attempts (14 of 56) and was outscored 35-22 in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics will aim to regain their form and avoid losing to the Bulls for the second time in three nights when they visit Chicago on Saturday.
Chicago’s Zach LaVine connected on 6 of 11 3-point attempts and finished with a season-high 36 points.
LaVine scored five consecutive points after Boston closed the gap to 99-96 with a Jaylen Brown 3-pointer. Two of those points came from free throws after Boston coach Joe Mazzulla and Brown were both given technical fouls with 5:12 to play—Mazzulla for walking onto the court and Brown for questioning his coach’s technical foul. Jayson Tatum also received a technical with 3:10 remaining.
The victory ended Chicago’s five-game losing streak against Boston, which included a 138-129 home loss on Nov. 29. It also marked the Bulls’ first three-game winning streak of the season.
The Bulls were 19 of 52 from 3-point range during Thursday’s win. They trailed 57-54 at halftime and 86-82 entering the fourth but used a 12-0 run to take a 99-90 lead.
Boston shot 39.2 percent from the field, their worst shooting percentage in a game this season. Jayson Tatum had 31 points and 10 rebounds but shot 10-of-22 from the field.
