Celtics 138-129 Bulls (November 29, 2024) Game Recap

CHICAGO – Jayson Tatum scored 35 points and had 14 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics past the Chicago Bulls 138-129 in the NBA Cup pool game on Friday night.

Reserve Payton Pritchard scored a season-best 29 points, including 11 straight during a fourth-quarter run that gave the Celtics the lead for good.

Nikola Vucevic scored a season-high 32 points and had 11 rebounds for Chicago, which could have secured a spot in the Cup quarterfinals with a win. Atlanta, which defeated Cleveland earlier in the day, secured its spot in Group C and will advance to the knockout rounds.

Boston still has a chance at a wild card spot, but that depends on the outcome of Tuesday’s games.

Zach LaVine added 29 points for the Bulls, including four 3-pointers, becoming the franchise player Career ladder in Made 3s.

With the score tied at 108, Pritchard scored three points on consecutive possessions, starting an 11-4 run that gave Boston breathing room. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points each.

Takeaways

Celtics: Boston had its full roster available for the first time this season, but only three reserves played significant minutes. It didn’t hurt that Pritchard, who played 28 minutes and most of the fourth quarter, was part of that trio.

Bulls: LaVine’s third 3-pointer with 3:05 to play put the Bulls up 125-122 and made him the franchise’s career leader. He finished with four 3s and now has 1,051, two more than Kirk Hinrich.

Key moment

Pritchard hit a deep 3-pointer with 5:25 to play to cap an 11-point lead and give Boston a 119-112 lead. He finished the night 7-for-11 from behind the arc and scored all but five of the Celtics’ 34 bench points.

Key statistics

The Celtics were 15 for 23 from the floor in the fourth quarter.

Next

Boston travels to Cleveland on Sunday. Chicago hosts Brooklyn on Monday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba