Pritchard scores 30 off bench as Celtics beat Bulls 125-111

Payton Pritchard scored 30 points off the bench, and the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 125-111 on Friday, October 30, after building a 32-point lead in the first half.

Pritchard shot 9 of 17 from the field and made all nine free throws in 35 minutes. He also hit 3 of 9 from three-point range.

Boston took control in the first quarter. Chicago led 9-6, then the Celtics ran off 10 straight points to go up 16-9 and finished the period with 44. The Bulls never led again.

The margin reached 76-44 late in the second quarter, the largest of the game. Chicago's best edge was the three points it held at 9-6.

Jayson Tatum added 26 points and Paul George 18. Neemias Queta gave Boston 13 points in 20 minutes, and the Celtics bench outscored Chicago's 59-40.

Wilson led the Bulls (1-5) with 23 points, hitting 6 of 11 from three-point range. Norman Powell scored 16, and Matas Buzelis scored 14 but was a minus-14 in 20 minutes. Tre Jones had 12 points and four steals off the bench, though Chicago was outscored by 22 with him on the floor.

Boston scored only 21 points in the third quarter, and Chicago outscored it 37-26 in the fourth. The Bulls could not get closer than 15. Noa Essengue's tip shot with 1:20 left made it 122-107, and Pritchard answered with two free throws.

Boston's effective field goal percentage was 57.3, against 46.2 for Chicago, which shot 35 of 92 and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds.

Jaylin Sellers hit a 24-foot three-pointer to cut it to 125-110, and Essengue made one free throw with 2.0 seconds left for the final score. The Celtics improved to 4-1.

Up next

Bulls: at the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, November 2.

Celtics: at the Orlando Magic on Sunday, November 1.