Jayson Tatum beats DeMar DeRozan and Celtics defeat Bulls

In a great game played at the famous TD Garden gym, the Boston Celtics hosted the Chicago Bulls and with a great performance by Jayson Tatum, beat the Eastern Conference rival by 123 to 119 on Friday.

The young star of the Massachusetts franchise was the name of the team, scoring a double-double of 36 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Highlight also to the performances of the reserve Malcolm Brogdon (25 points) and Jaylen Brown (16 points and five rebounds).

For the Bulls, DeMar DeRozan was the big star with an incredible 45 points, but it was not enough for the triumph. Besides him, highlights to Nikola Vucevic with double-double (24 points and 12 rebounds), being 4/5 in three-balls, and Zach LaVine (16 points and seven rebounds).

With the positive result, Boston reaches 5-3 and takes the third position in the East. Chicago, on the other hand, has a retrospective of 50% of 5-5, occupying the seventh place.

Tatum pulled out his best tricks

As expected, the big game at the TD Garden started very balanced, intense and with a lot of quality on both sides. From the middle of the first quarter on, the Chicago Bulls managed to take a seven-point lead and kept the lead until the end of the period, driven by the great performance of DeMar DeRozan with 13 points. The visitors' partial victory was 31 to 26.

With a more aggressive posture and Jayson Tatum as the conductor of the second unit, the Boston Celtics went in front of the scoreboard in the opening minutes of the second quarter, forcing coach Billy Donovan to call timeout. The stoppage worked and Chicago came back better, balancing the action. The period was even and high quality until the end, when Boston closed better and went to halftime winning by 63 to 57. The highlight of the first half was DeRozan (19 points) and Tatum (18 points).

In the return from the locker room, the Celtics extended their dominance and were already flirting with a double-digit lead even before the halfway point of the third quarter. With a comfortable difference on the scoreboard, the hosts controlled well the rival's momentum, who even managed to react more effectively at times during the period. The Celtics went into the final quarter still leading by six points: 93 to 87. Despite the disadvantage, DeRozan continued to shine with 35 points.

The Bulls, who had finished the first quarter in the same way as the Celtics, were unable to keep up with the pace of the Bulls in the early stages. With seven minutes left in the game, the Celtics already had a 14-point lead, which was enough to secure the victory. However, despite the gap, the Massachusetts franchise suffered as Chicago attempted a comeback.

DeRozan was over 40 points and was looking for an improbable comeback. With 90 seconds left in the game, the gap between the teams came down to just one possession. However, the Boston Celtics managed to manage the final stretch, converted free throws and confirmed the victory by 123 to 119, with a great performance by Jayson Tatum, who scored a double-double of 36 points and 12 rebounds.

In the sequence of the league, the Boston Celtics will already play on Saturday against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls will face the Toronto Raptors, in Canada, this Sunday.

Adblock test (Why?)