Bulls fail to match intensity in 123-98 loss to Celtics

Zach LaVine knew the Bulls wouldn’t get the same Celtics team they saw in Boston on Thursday.

And he was right.

The Celtics showed up at the United Center “on their game,” just as LaVine had predicted, which meant he wasn’t reprising his 36-point performance, and there was no need for Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to make a spirited charge at any officials as time expired.

After a respectable first half for the Bulls in which they trailed by seven, the Celtics went to work. Lightning would not strike twice as the Celts handed them a 123-98 loss.

Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 19 points and 10 rebounds. LaVine had only 14 points, shooting 4-for-11 from the field.

“I don’t think we played with the same intensity and focus that we did in Boston,” Vucevic said, “especially in the second half.”

The Bulls doubled Jayson Tatum in the third quarter as he got hot, but it did little to quell his fire. With two seconds left in the quarter, Tatum fired a three over Lonzo Ball. Before it even fell through the bottom of the net, he had turned, heading in the opposite direction with three fingers raised in the air. He had 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.

“Guys in the league are going to have nights like that,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “But it’s the things around it, and, to me, tonight it was rebounding.”

The Celtics increased the 14-point lead they took into the fourth quarter behind gravity-defying dunks by Jaylen Brown and Tatum’s three-point game. Brown added 19 points, and Kristaps Porzingis scored 22.

After shooting 14-for-56 from three-point range against the Bulls on Thursday, the Celtics had a slightly better night. They shot 33.3% from long range, but Tatum went 9-for-15, including 3-for-4 in the fourth quarter. As Tatum headed to the bench when Mazzulla sent in his reserves, he was met with an ovation from visiting fans.

The Bulls matched the Celtics’ three-point percentage, but they were dominated inside. The Celtics outscored the Bulls 58-34 in the paint and 25-12 on second-chance looks.

“I thought that was the difference in the game tonight,” Donovan said. “We shot it OK, not great, either. But I thought the rebounding was a major problem. The game got slowed because we either fouled or we couldn’t get rebounds.”

This was Patrick Williams’ fourth game back after a 10-game absence because of swelling and discomfort in his left foot. He’s still working on reestablishing his rhythm and timing.

“You have to look at the totality of when he had surgery, how long he was out, when he was actually able to get back to playing five-on-five and the number of games he missed,” Donovan said. “Then he goes out again. For him, it’s going to take a little bit more.”

On Thursday, Williams shot 5-for-13, including 4-for-9 from deep, to finish with 14 points. This time, he was still on a minutes restriction and scored 14 again.

“I think he’s working his way through some of those things,” Donovan said. “But I do think each game he’s gotten better where he looks like he’s getting back to his normal self.”