Celtics 115, Bulls 101

 

The Boston Celtics are in first place in the Atlantic Division.

No Tatum, no Holiday, no Porzingis, no Horford, no Kornet? No problem. We've got Mr. Brown and Mr. White, we've got Simons, Pritchard and Hauser, we've got Hugo González. We've got first place in the Atlantic. 

We got there beating the Chicago Bulls, 113-101, last night. Simons led the team with 27 points, Queta got the surprise double double (13 points and 13 rebounds) and González got 12 minutes and 7 rebounds. The Celtics out-rebounded the Bulls, 54-45 and scored 20 threes to Chicago's 16.  Remember, 3-point %  + > Rebounds + González Minutes = Success!

Also, there were no stinko quarters. After jumping out to a 54-33 halftime lead, the Celtics scored only 3 and 4 fewer points than the Bulls in each of the last two quarters. 

With the win, the Celtics are a ½ game ahead of the New York Knicks, who have helpfully lost four straight games while the Celtics are on a four-game winning streak. Keep up the good work, New York! 

The Denver Nuggets (24-12) will visit the Garden Wednesday night for the Celtics' next game. Serbian strongman Nikola Jokić is out with an injury, thank god, but best wishes, Nikola, and get well at your own pace. Don't let anyone rush you - stay out as long as you need. Meanwhile, the Celtics will still have their hands full.