10 takeaways from a star-studded evening in Chicago

#1 – The Boston Celtics tried to keep up with the pace of the Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are the fastest team in the NBA so far this season. After an opponent makes a basket, the Bulls hold possession for an average of 15.5 seconds, compared to the league average of 17.3 seconds and the Celtics’ 17.9 seconds. Against the reigning NBA champions, Billy Donovan’s team knew they had to step up the tempo even further – and they did.

After the Celtics’ shots, the Bulls averaged 14.6 seconds per possession. Their goal was to disrupt Boston’s defense by running more and preventing the Celtics from executing their usual plans. The Bulls’ 129 points suggest this strategy worked. However, the Celtics also quickened their pace.

Joe Mazzulla’s team followed the Bulls’ approach and shortened their possession by an average of 1.5 seconds after basket shots. By matching the Bulls’ tempo while capitalizing on their superior talent, the Celtics scored 139 points – their second-highest output of the season.

While the Bulls compensated for their lack of talent with speed, the Celtics adapted, showed off their versatility, and ultimately prevailed with their superior skill and adaptability.

#2 – Jayson Tatum’s Efficiency Masterclass

Jayson Tatum scored 35 points on just 18 field goal attempts. He only took one shot from mid-range, instead focusing on three-point shots and shots at the rim. The Bulls had no answers. Their lack of rim protection was evident on this drive: Tatum positioned Lonzo Ball, drove to the rim, and Vucevic barely gave him any competition.

The Bulls defense struggled even more when it went small and had to guard Josh Giddey Tatum. Tatum’s completion at the rim, now at 79% this season, continues to improve. He remained calm, composed and collected on this play, demonstrating why his efficiency has reached new heights. His sweater also looks as chic as ever.

Whether the Bulls were dropping or using pick-and-rolls, Tatum’s deadly pull-ups made life impossible for their defense.

They simply had no answer to his brilliant goal-scoring ability.

#3 – Better spacing opens up the rim

The Celtics attempted 30 shots at the rim last night and converted 74% – a rare occurrence for this team. Kristaps Porziņģis played an important role in creating this dynamic.

By positioning Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown in the corners against weaker defenders like Zach LaVine and Coby White, the Celtics limited the Bulls’ defensive rotations. This also forced Nikola Vucevic to take actions that he was not comfortable with.

The Celtics’ use of screens and switches puts the Bulls in lose-lose situations. As the Bulls became accustomed to shooting threes, Boston moved to attacking the rim, demonstrating its adaptability.

#4 – Payton Pritchard’s unconscious run in the fourth quarter

In just five minutes, Payton Pritchard scored 19 points – a performance for the ages. The variety of his goal actions was remarkable.

After hitting a three-pointer on the spot, he set up a ghost screen for Jaylen Brown that froze the Bulls’ defense and created another open three-pointer.

Next, he drove past Josh Giddey and used perfectly timed steps to evade the defense and finish calmly at the rim.

He also delivered highlight plays, like this rebound jumper after nearly losing his balance:

Pritchard finished the game with 29 points in 28 minutes, added four offensive rebounds and had excellent playmaking – a strong argument for Sixth Man of the Year.

#5 – Kristaps Porziņģis’ mobility is key

After a long injury, Porziņģis’ mobility was questionable. Last night he proved doubters wrong by sprinting into early screens and playing with noticeable speed and fluidity.

In one sequence, he sprinted to set up a screen for Derrick White and force Vucevic to take action. He then faked a dribble handoff and freed Lonzo Ball from under the rim.

His agility also opened up opportunities for him. On another play, he used a ghost screen to gain distance and then attacked the rim like a guard driving against a closeout.

Porziņģis’ speed and decision-making ability were encouraging signs of his comeback.

#6 – Post-up dominance from Kristaps Porziņģis

The Celtics returned to their high-post moves, using Porziņģis to exploit inconsistencies against smaller guards. Even great defenders like Josh Giddey looked helpless against KP’s size and patience.

Porziņģis showed excellent composure, using fakes and powerful dribbles to score or draw fouls. He finished the game with three field goals and seven free throws after the play, adding another dimension to Boston’s elite offense.

#7 – Late adjustments by the Bulls

After a long night of turning on every Celtics screen, the Bulls finally started sending two players to the ball handler to get the ball moving. After a solid possession game, the Celtics lost the ball three times in the final three minutes of the game.

Still, the Celtics adjusted after a few bad offensive possessions to ensure the Bulls had no choice but to switch Vucevic on the ball. They multiplied the screens to make sure the big man was moving and involved in the action, running as fast as he could in transition. This dashed the Bulls’ expectations of a comeback.

#8 – Nikola Vucevic’s play showed why the Celtics defense can be beaten

The Montenegrin big man is the archetype of a player who can disrupt the Celtics’ defensive system with two key skills: shooting and scoring.

The Celtics often assign Jayson Tatum to guard the opponent’s center and let Porziņģis roam around as a backup defender against the weakest shooter. This approach worked well in last year’s NBA Finals, as Daniel Gafford, for example, couldn’t exploit Tatum with post-ups.

Vucevic, however, presents a different challenge. He can attack Tatum in the post or take advantage of any transition to punish smaller defenders after screens. The Celtics also can’t simply task Porziņģis with guarding him, as Vucevic’s shot would pull Porziņģis away from the field, leaving Boston’s perimeter defense exposed.

Vucevic’s versatility caused problems for the Celtics throughout the game and highlighted a recurring problem in their defense. As Marc Campbell noted last year, a big shot with post-up skills might be the only type of player who can truly dismantle Boston’s otherwise elite defense.

#9 – Jaylen Brown: the best dunker in the game

Jaylen Brown’s ability to drop posters is unmatched. Let’s not take his spectacular dunks in the game for granted.

#10 – The Celtics’ NBA Cup hopes remain

Despite the Hawks’ win over the Cavaliers, the Celtics still have a way to go to advance to the NBA Cup. According to Khari A. Thompson, here are the scenarios:

“The Curtsy Beat the Magic by 37 or more and Bucks beat Pistons by 5 or more. Orlando (+60) has a sizable point differential advantage over the Celtics (+23) that can only be overcome if New York beats Orlando by 37 or more. If the Knicks beat the Magic by that much or more, the Celtics would have the tiebreaker over Orlando. The Pistons’ differential (+28) would fall below the Celtics’ differential (+23) if Detroit loses to Milwaukee by 6 or more.

The Knicks beat the Magic by 37 or more and the Pistons beat the Bucks (+29) by 7 or more. Same scenario as above, except Milwaukee would be tied with Boston and the point differential would fall below +23 if they lost by 7 or more points.

Magical win, Pistons beat Bucks by 7 or more. The Knicks (+15) would be tied at 3-1 with the Celtics, and since their margin is already smaller than the Celtics’, any Knicks loss would give the Celtics the tiebreaker over them regardless of the score.

Magic wins, Bucks beat Pistons by 6 or more. As explained above, the Celtics would have a point differential over these teams.”