Celtics’ Pressure Defense Overwhelms Bulls in 125-111 Win

Overview

• The Celtics pummeled the Bulls 125-111 at TD Garden on Friday, opening the game with 44 first-quarter points that set the tone for a runaway win.
• Boston forced 16 Chicago turnovers and converted those mistakes into 21 points, using aggressive ball pressure and passing-lane defense to create easy scoring chances.
• Payton Pritchard led Boston with 30 points while the team controlled the interior, scoring 56 points in the paint to exploit Chicago’s weak point-of-attack defense.
• Chicago’s ball-handling woes continued as the Bulls dropped their fourth straight game, leaving them with a minus-14 NBA Cup point differential that makes advancing from Group C unlikely without rapid improvement.
• Rookie Caleb Wilson provided a bright spot by scoring a team-high 23 points on 6-for-11 3-point shooting, but Chicago’s coaches must fix turnovers and interior defense before the team’s next Cup and regular-season tests.