At the start of the NBA Playoffs first round involving the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls, it appeared an upset might be on the way for the No. 1 seed. However, with four straight wins, the Celtics officially eliminated the Bulls in Game 6 on Friday night. The latest victory came in Chicago at the United Center as Boston thumped the Bulls 105-83 behind Avery Bradley's 23-point performance. Here's a look at how the game was won by the Boston Celtics, as well as what's coming up next.

Bradley propels Boston win

Friday night's effort by the Celtics saw the visiting team come out on a mission.

As they realized this was their chance to close things out, the Celts outscored the Bulls through the first three quarters 88-59. By the fourth quarter, Chicago's 24-17 performance was simply too little too late.

The game featured a very balanced scoring effort from the Celtics. While Bradley hit 9-of-12 shots for 23 points which included three three-point shots, all of his starting teammates also finished in double-digits. Gerald Green was the next highest scorer with 16 points, while Isaiah Thomas had a quiet night of 12 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Al Horford ended up with 12 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, while Jae Crowder also added 12.

On the losing side of things, Jimmy Butler scored 23 points on 9-for-17 shooting to lead all Bulls players.

He also had three steals and seven boards. Dwyane Wade, who had a near triple-double in the previous game, came out with a cold performance on Friday, going just one-for-10 from the floor and finishing with a mere two points for the game. As a team, Chicago shot 39.5 percent and missed 15-of-19 three-pointers they attempted.

Coming up next

The loss by the Chicago Bulls has officially eliminated them from this year's playoffs. Chicago showed promise with their addition of several new roster members including superstar Dwyane Wade, former NBA All-Star and championship winner Rajon Rondo, and big man Robin Lopez. The Bulls will now look toward this summer's draft, as well as possible free agent signings to improve their team moving forward.

With their win, the Boston Celtics are moving on to the Eastern Conference semifinals round. Their next opponents will be a ferocious Washington Wizards team led by the explosive scoring backcourt of Bradley Beal and John Wall. The duo combined for 73 points in their Friday night win over the Hawks to advance to the next round. Game 1 of this Wizards vs. Celtics series takes place on Sunday in Boston at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
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