Game three between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls brought about lineup changes for both teams. The Bulls’ lineup change wasn’t optional, as Jerian Grant replaced the injured Rajon Rondo. For Boston, the lineup change was a way to switch things up. Coach Brad Stevens seemingly fully abandoned all hope of winning the rebounding battle, starting Gerald Green for Amir Johnson as a way to go all-in on a small, shooting-filled lineup. Fittingly, the Bulls’ first points were scored by Robin Lopez after an offensive rebound.
The Celtics started off strong, jumping out to a 14-4 lead – their largest lead of the series. Four of the Celtics’ first five field goals came from beyond the arc, as Boston connected on four of their first six three-point attempts.
Grant got off to a rough start in his first start of the series, turning the ball over three times in the first seven minutes – all coming before the Bulls had recorded a single assist.
The Celtics played nearly flawlessly in the first quarter. Heading into the second, they led 33-15:
After Q1:
Celtics: 33 points. 11/12 field goals assisted on. 2 turnovers.
Bulls: 15 points, 1/6 field goals assisted on. 5 turnovers.
— David Morrow (@_DavidMorrow) April 21, 2017
The start of the second quarter was not like the first. The Bulls quickly cut the Celtics’ 18-point lead in half after a 13-2 run fueled by four early Boston turnovers.
At the half, the Celtics led by just three points, 44-41. The Bulls closed the quarter on a 24-7 run. Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 14 points on 5-10 shooting. (Arguably) The two best players in the series, Jimmy Butler and Isaiah Thomas, both struggled in the first half. Butler scored just two points on 1-8 shooting while Thomas scored six points on 3-10 shooting. Avery Bradley led Boston with 11 points on 4-6 shooting.
Despite having rolled his quarter in his second quarter, Gerald Green started the second half for Boston. Isaiah Thomas shook off his bad start, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to put the Celtics up 52-43. Thomas also led the offense with his passing, as shown in this play:
Smooth dish from Isaiah Thomas to Al Horford #Celtics pic.twitter.com/DW9Knce14g
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 22, 2017
The Celtics would extend the lead to 15 points. By the end of the third, Boston sat on a comfortable 76-63 lead. The C’s shot 13-24 (54.2 percent) in the quarter. Jimmy Butler scored twice late in the quarter but was still just 4-16 from the field with eight points, no assists and no free throw attempts.
The Celtics’ strong play continued into the fourth quarter. They extended the lead to 20 with 4:11 remaining after a breakaway dunk by Jae Crowder. The Celtics coasted to a 104-87 victory.
Al Horford led the Celtics with 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals on 8-14 shooting. The Celtics shot 17-37 (45.9 percent) from beyond the arc. The Bulls, on the other hand, shot just 6-21 (28.6 percent) from outside. The Bulls also shot just 33-84 (39.3 percent) from the field.
One interesting thing to note for Boston is that rookie Jaylen Brown played under two minutes. Coach Stevens may have just about given up on the rook for this postseason.
The Bulls once again outrebounded the Celtics (by 15, this time), but it didn’t matter. The Bulls’ offense didn’t flow as well without Rondo in the lineup; their 11 assists were overshadowed by 14 turnovers.
The series now stands at 2-1 in favor of the Bulls. Game four will take place in Chicago on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT.
