The Celtics played their asses off tonight in Chicago and were rewarded with a 106-101 victory over the Bulls. Kelly Olynyk (18 points, 11 rebounds), Evan Turner (19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists) and Tyler Zeller (10 points, 7 rebounds) are the 3 stars of the night.
A road game on the second night of a back-to-back generally leads to an apathetic performance. But the Celtics out-hustled Chicago. Couple the high energy level with efficient offense and Boston held a double-digit lead for most of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters. Aaron Brooks (26 points) single-handedly brought Chicago back in the 4th, but a pair of Kelly Olynyk rebounds sealed the win.
The Green
Without Rajon Rondo or Marcus Smart, the Celtics turned to Evan Turner at the point. He responded with 6 assists and just 2 TOs in 32 minutes. I HATE the idea of Turner running the offense, but it worked.
Tyler Zeller has great hands around the rim. The guy runs and when he’s rewarded with the ball, he knows how to finish from just about any angle. He’s the anti-Perk.
Props to KO for his solid offensive night against Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Pau Gasol.
The Gross
Not a lot to complain about tonight but because I have to…
Brooks had 17 of his 26 in the 4th quarter. Hard to fault the Celtics here because the dude was just red hot. He was hitting 3s and running bank shots.
Jared Sullinger logged 27 minutes, the lowest total for the starters. He sat for the first 7 minutes of the 4th quarter. I don’t think this was a knock on Sully, but more about the effectiveness of the Zeller/Olynyk combination.
Greenlights
Kelly Olynyk’s game-saving offensive rebound
Grid
- Sullinger was a team high +25
- Kirk Hinrich was 0-7
Prediction of the night:
“@ByJayKing: Evan Turner is starting in Rondo’s place.” So gross — Chuck M. (@RedsArmy_Chuck) November 8, 2014
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