Celtics eliminate Bulls from NBA Cup contention
Nov 29, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jalen Smith (7) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Jayson Tatum had 35 points and 14 rebounds and Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 29 points as the visiting Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 138-129 Friday in the fourth NBA Cup game for each team.
A Tatum free throw handed Boston a 125-115 lead with 4:11 to play. Chicago sliced its deficit to three points on a Zach LaVine 3-pointer with 3:03 left but failed to get any closer after that.
Pritchard made 7 of 11 3-point attempts, and he tossed in 19 of his points in the fourth quarter. Boston received 21 points from both Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown.
Chicago was eliminated from the NBA Cup with the loss with a 2-2 record. The Bulls would have advanced as the East Group C champion with a victory.
Any chance Boston had of winning the group disappeared when Atlanta beat Cleveland 117-101 on Friday, since the Hawks beat the Celtics 117-116 in an NBA Cup game on Nov. 12. Atlanta is the East Group C champion with a 3-1 mark. The Celtics, also 3-1, have a slim chance to move on in the tournament as a wild card.
Nikola Vucevic scored 32 points and had 11 rebounds for Chicago in the loss. LaVine added 29 points, hitting four 3-pointers. With his third 3-pointer, he passed Kirk Hinrich for most made treys in franchise history, and he ended the game with 1,051 3-pointers in his Bulls career.
Boston grabbed its first double-digit lead on a Porzingis dunk that put the Celtics in front 23-12 with 5:38 left in the opening quarter. The Celtics extended its lead to 33-20 on a Tatum 3-pointer and led 39-30 after 12 minutes. Boston made 9 of 16 3-point attempts in the opening quarter.
The Bulls used a 16-3 spurt to tie the game 42-42, and an 11-0 run later in the second quarter gave Chicago a 55-46 advantage. Boston answered with a 14-0 run capped by a Derrick White 3-pointer that gave the Celtics a 60-55 edge. It was 67-67 at halftime.
A 13-2 run gave Chicago an 80-72 lead with 8:07 left in the third quarter, but the score was tied 97-96 entering the fourth.
White left the game with a foot injury in the second half and did not return. He finished with 16 points in 24 minutes.
