The Chicago Bulls came one step closer to the Eastern Conference semifinals with another victory over the Boston Celtics at the Td Garden in Boston. This win was even more impressive than the first one, as the Bulls won all four quarters in the game. Jimmy Butler had 22 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and two blocks in 43 minutes on the floor.
Rajon Rondo also played big 40 minutes and went one rebound short of a triple-double. He finished the game with 11 points, nine rebounds, and 14 assists, adding five steals to his stat sheet.
Rondo turned the ball over only three times in the game and committed just one foul. That was some big playoff performance by Rajon.
Dwyane Wade is back
After only eleven points on Sunday, Dwyane Wade was pretty efficient with his shots last night. He scored 22 points while shooting 9 of 16 from the field and three of four from the three-point line. He played 32 minutes and didn't have a single turnover.
Robin Lopez played some significant role for the Bulls with 18 points and eight rebounds, while shooting 8 of 11 from the field. Nikola Mirotic added 13 points and seven rebounds. And once again, the Bulls had their bench guy. On Sunday night it was Bobby Portis, while this time it was Paul Zipser.
Zipser scored 16 points off the bench while shooting 6 of 8 from the field and two of three from the three point line.
Great Bulls defense
The Boston Celtics couldn't find their outside shot, as they were shooting just 10 of 33 from the three-point line. The Bulls perimeter defense was excellent. Also, they had 12 steals and six blocks in the game, while the Celtics had six steals and four blocks.
A big defensive game for the Fred Hoiberg's team resulted in another big win, and the Bulls are pretty close to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
Isaiah Thomas scored only 20 points in 41 minutes while shooting 6 of 15 from the field and 7 of 13 from the free throw line. Jae Crowder had 16 points with four assists, while Avery Bradley added 12 points for the home team.
Al Horford had a disappointing game with just seven points, but he did have 11 rebounds and five assists. Marcus Smart led the Celtics bench with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Kelly Olynyk added 11 points and seven assists off the bench.
The home crowd witnessed another huge disappointment, and the Celtics are just two games away from elimination. The next game is on the schedule for Friday, as the series will move to Chicago.
