Bulls Fall 125-111 at Boston in Their NBA Cup Opener
Boston outscored Chicago 44-25 in the first quarter and led by as many as 32, and the Bulls' late push only trimmed the final margin in a 125-111 NBA Cup loss at TD Garden on Friday night.
The Chicago Bulls opened NBA Cup group play the hard way on Friday night, falling 125-111 to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in the Group C opener for both teams, Reuters reported. Boston took command in the first quarter, outscoring Chicago 44-25 in the frame, and led by as many as 32 points in the second quarter on the way to its fourth straight win.
Payton Pritchard scored a season-high 30 points off the Boston bench, and Jayson Tatum added 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Reuters reported. Paul George had 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics, who held a 99-74 advantage at the end of the third quarter before Chicago cut into the margin in the final minutes.
Caleb Wilson led the Bulls with 23 points, including six 3-pointers. Chicago lost its fourth straight while shooting 37.6 percent from the field and 30 percent (15 of 50) from 3-point range, and the game was the second meeting between the teams this week — Boston also won at home on Monday, 134-99.
The Bulls, 1-5 on the young season, get two days off before visiting the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Nov. 2, with tip set for 6:30 p.m. CT.