Payton Pritchard went absolutely ballistic for 28 points, draining a ridiculous seven triples, effectively smashing the Chicago Bulls in the third quarter at TD Garden. Boston flat out rolled over the Bulls, chalking up a dominant 134-99 victory, a 35-point statement win that has everyone talking. After dropping their first game, Boston is clearly finding its groove on their home court.
Early Game Firepower and Rookie Resilience
The Celtics came out swinging, with their usual suspects on the floor: Jordan Walsh, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Paul George, and Mitchell Robinson. Jayson Tatum set the early pace, eventually finishing with 23 points in 27 minutes. We saw some sweet chemistry brewing between Mitchell Robinson and Tatum right off the bat, with Robinson benefitting from Tatum’s playmaking. Paul George, in just his second home game, wasted no time, sinking a three from the 45 for the game’s first score, then hitting another one to put the C’s up 6-2. Derrick White even joined the long-range party with a catch-and-shoot trey, showing Boston was ready to light it up from deep.
But the Bulls weren’t just going to roll over. Chicago’s Jalen Smith hit a tough three over Mitchell Robinson and even got fouled on the play for a potential four-point swing. And let’s talk about rookie Caleb Wilson for a minute. That kid has some serious wheels! He chased down Paul George for a huge block, then followed it up by swatting Jayson Tatum’s shot, racking up two blocks in the first six minutes. Norman Powell laced a triple for Chicago, and for a hot second, the Celtics’ early lead looked like it was shrinking, down to just 17-13 midway through the quarter. But then Hugo Gonzalez checked in, immediately putting up his first points of the season, followed by a Pritchard step-back three, and another fast break bucket from Hugo. Tatum, who played the entire first quarter, finished it with 8 points, 5 assists, and 3 boards, even finding Hugo for his first three-point make. Boston still ended the quarter up by twelve, and Hugo finished with 7 points in just 5 minutes of action.
Pritchard Blows the Doors Off
While Tatum set the tone early, it was Payton Pritchard who truly broke this game wide open in the third quarter. The guy was on fire, absolutely burying the Bulls with his scoring outburst, highlighted by those incredible seven triples. When a player catches fire like that, it just shifts the entire energy of the game, and that’s exactly what Pritchard did. The C’s kept pouring it on, turning a competitive game into a full-blown blowout, showing everyone how dangerous they can be when multiple guys are contributing big-time.
Boston is really finding its rhythm at TD Garden. They’ve dropped just one game all season, and this kind of offensive explosion, coupled with key players stepping up when it matters, is exactly what you want to see early on. They’re clicking, and they’re doing it at home.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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