NBA Score: Boston Celtics Beat Chicago Bulls Without Al Horford
Al Horford was one of the most prized free agent signings in the NBA this past summer. Many feel that his addition could push the Boston Celtics to compete with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. On Wednesday, the Celtics reminded fans that they were a pretty good team before their new center arrived. Boston defeated the Chicago Bulls without Horford by a score of 107-100, as reported by ESPN.
About @IamAmirJohnson last night. Watch him go 4-4 from 3. https://t.co/tJABpv3KfA
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 3, 2016
Chicago Bulls starters
Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade have both gone on record as stating that the Bulls belong to Jimmy Butler. Against the Boston Celtics, that appeared to be very much the case. Butler took a team high 21 shots, which was good enough for 23 points. The 6-foot-7 forward also chipped in with nine rebounds.
Dwyane Wade proved to be a useful sidekick. The veteran guard scored 15 points. Unfortunately, though, he struggled with his outside shooting, missing all three shots that he took beyond the three-point line. That was something that Wade was really hoping to improve on this season because he wants to prevent opposing defenses from collapsing the paint.
When it comes to putting up numbers across the board, Rajon Rondo remains one of the best in the NBA. The high energy guard put up 12 points, ten rebounds, and five assists.
The Chicago Bulls received a solid effort from their front court tandem of Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez, the latter of whom played only 14 minutes. The two of them combined for 16 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks. Defensively, though, they struggled at times to contain Amir Johnson.
Chicago Bulls bench
A lot of the minutes that Robin Lopez does not play are being given to Nikola Mirotic. The 6-foot-10 forward has rewarded Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg with good productivity. Mirotic provided an offensive spark off the bench with 17 points. He also pulled down six rebounds. Mirotic also shot well from the outside, which opened things up for Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, and Jimmy Butler to attack the basket.
Bobby Portis is still trying to earn himself a bigger role in the rotation. The second-year forward showed signs of life by pulling down seven rebounds in just 11 minutes of playing time.
Boston Celtics starters
Isaiah Thomas currently has a streak where the 5-foot-9 guard has been scoring more than 20 points a game since the season started. That streak continued against the Chicago Bulls, where he scored 23 points. Thomas also added ten rebounds and three steals.
After putting up 33 points against the Charlotte Hornets, Avery Bradley tried to recapture the magic. The 25-year-old guard simply could not hit his outside shots, making only one of the seven that he attempted. Bradley still was able to provide the team with 13 points, though.
In the absence of Al Horford, Amir Johnson decided to take things up another notch. The 6-foot-9 forward put up 23 points by shooting very effectively. Johnson made all four of the outside shots that he took.
Jae Crowder was only able to play 14 minutes because of an injury, but the defensive forward still managed to score ten points and pull down ten rebounds.
Tyler Zeller started at center in place of Al Horford. He managed to score 11 points, which meant that all five Boston Celtics starters hit double digits.
Boston Celtics bench
Marcus Smart returned from an ankle injury, and Celtics head coach Brad Stevens leaned on him pretty heavily off the bench. Smart had his ups and downs in the game. While he had five rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block, Smart struggled with his shooting and committed six turnovers.
[Featured Image by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]
