Celtics Hold Off Bulls 138-129 as Tatum and Pritchard Lead the Way
Jayson Tatum had 35 points and 14 rebounds, and Payton Pritchard added a season-best 29 off the bench, as Boston beat Chicago in NBA Cup pool play on Friday night.
By Ishani Kapalli ·
The Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 138-129 in an NBA Cup pool game on Friday night, pulling away late behind big performances from Jayson Tatum and reserve Payton Pritchard.
Tatum led all Boston scorers with 35 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Pritchard scored a season-best 29 points, including 11 in a row during a fourth-quarter stretch that put the Celtics in front for good. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis each finished with 21 points.
The game was level at 108 when Pritchard hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to open an 11-4 Boston run. He capped his personal burst with a deep three with 5:25 remaining, making it 119-112. Pritchard went 7 for 11 from beyond the arc in 28 minutes and scored all but five of the Celtics' 34 bench points. Boston shot 15 for 23 from the floor in the fourth quarter.
It was the first time this season the Celtics had their full roster available, though only three reserves saw significant minutes. Pritchard was one of them.
Chicago got a season-high 32 points and 11 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic. A win would have clinched a spot in the Cup quarterfinals for the Bulls. Instead, Atlanta took the Group C berth and advances to the knockout round after beating Cleveland earlier in the day.
Zach LaVine added 29 points for Chicago and made history along the way. His third 3-pointer, with 3:05 left, cut the Bulls' deficit to 125-122 and made him the franchise's career leader in made threes. He finished with four and now has 1,051, two more than Kirk Hinrich.
Boston still has a chance at the wild-card spot, but that depends on the results of Tuesday's games.
The Celtics visit Cleveland on Sunday. The Bulls host Brooklyn on Monday night.
Source: Boston.com
