The Chicago Bulls fell to the Boston Celtics 115-101 at TD Garden on Monday night, suffering their third consecutive loss as the Celtics extended their winning streak to four games.
Anfernee Simons paced Boston with 27 points, while Payton Pritchard added 21 points and Neemias Queta contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Celtics improved to 23-12 on the season, notching their eighth win in nine games.
Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 26 points. Chicago fell to 17-19 overall and 7-10 on the road while playing without leading scorer Josh Giddey, who missed the game with a hamstring injury.
First Half Defensive Clinic
Boston's defense set the tone early, holding Chicago to just 14 points in the first quarter while building a 31-14 lead. The Celtics extended their advantage to 17 points after one quarter and controlled the pace throughout.
The Bulls managed only 19 points in the second quarter as Boston pushed its lead to 54-33 at halftime. Payton Pritchard capped the half with a fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer.
Chicago's 33 first-half points marked the fewest the Celtics had allowed in any half this season. The Bulls threatened their own team record low for points in a half of 23, set against Miami on April 10, 1999, before Jevon Carter hit a pair of late three-pointers.
Shooting Struggles
The Bulls shot just 32.7% from the field in the first half and missed 20 of their first 23 three-point attempts. Boston wasn't much better from beyond the arc, connecting on only 5 of its first 19 attempts, but the Celtics' defensive pressure made the difference.
Jaylen Brown struggled offensively for Boston, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-24 shooting. The performance came one game after Brown tied his career high with 50 points in Saturday's victory at the Los Angeles Clippers.
Second Half
The Celtics led by 21 points at halftime and weren't seriously threatened until the closing minutes. Chicago managed to cut the deficit to 106-96 on Nikola Vucevic's three-pointer with 3:34 remaining, but the Bulls didn't reach 100 points until just over a minute was left.
Boston pushed its advantage to 49-27 midway through the second quarter on Jaylen Brown's short jumper in the lane before cruising to the finish.
Notable Performances
The victory marked Boston's fourth consecutive win and eighth in their last nine games. The Celtics improved to 11-5 at home while extending their strong play heading into Wednesday's matchup with Denver.
Chicago's third straight loss follows Saturday's 112-99 defeat at home to Charlotte. The Bulls have struggled without key guards Josh Giddey, who has missed four straight games with a hamstring injury, and Coby White, who has been sidelined with a calf injury.
Next Up
The Bulls travel to Detroit to face the Pistons on Wednesday night.
The Celtics host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night in the second game of a four-game homestand.
