Jayson Tatum drops 43 to lead Celtics past Bulls

Jayson Tatum drops 43 to lead Celtics past Bulls

NBA: Boston Celtics - Chicago BullsDecember 21, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA Chicago Bulls guard Kobe White (0) defends against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Jayson Tatum had 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to help the visiting Boston Celtics snap a losing streak with a 123-98 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.

Tatum made 16 of 24 field goal attempts, including 9 of 15 from 3-point range, in 36 minutes.

Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points and seven rebounds for Boston, which got 19 points, five rebounds and eight assists from Jaylen Brown. Al Horford contributed eight points and seven rebounds off the bench for Boston. The Celtics had a 59-43 rebounding edge.

The loss ended Chicago’s three-game winning streak, which included a 117-108 win in Boston on Thursday night. The Celtics haven’t lost back-to-back games this season.

Nikola Vucevic was the leader of the Bulls with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Patrick Williams, Kobe White and Zach LaVine each added 14 points for Chicago, which was held to 44 points in the second half. The Bulls shot 37.8 percent from the field (37 of 98).

It was 28-28 after one quarter, but Boston took its first double-digit lead of the game after Tatum made two free throws to give the Celtics a 57-47 advantage with 2:20 left in the first half. Boston extended its lead to 61-49, but Chicago scored the final five points of the second quarter and trailed 61-54 at halftime.

Boston took an 88-75 lead after Tatum’s 3-pointer with 1:25 left in the third quarter. The Celtics closed the quarter on a 15-4 run to take a 93-77 advantage into the fourth.

The Celtics scored 14 of their first 16 points in the quarter to extend their lead to 107-79 with 6:45 to play. Boston’s lead ballooned to 29 later in the quarter.

The Celtics had a 60-38 advantage in points in the paint and made 15 of their 45 three-point attempts.

The win raised Boston’s road record to 11-2.

–Within field level

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