Emergency starter Evan Turner scored 19 points, one of five starters in double figures, to lead the short-handed Boston Celtics to a 106-101 triumph over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
The Celtics took control in the final six minutes of the second period, which they closed on a 27-8 run to take a 56-41 lead into the half. Avery Bradley scored nine and Turner added six more in the decisive stretch. Led by Bradley, who had 11 points, all five starters scored at least eight in the first half.
Reserve Aaron Brooks led the Bulls with 26 points, while Pau Gasol added 19. Kelly Olynk finished with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Celtics.
Boston won for only the second time in its last 10 trips to the United Center. The Bulls fell for the second time in seven games this season.
The teams played without injured All-Star point guards Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose. Rondo and rookie guard Marcus Smart sat out for the Celtics, while Rose was sidelined for the second straight game and fourth in the last five.
Boston took a 12-2 lead at the outset, as Chicago misfired on 10 of its first 11 field goal attempts. After a time-out, Gasol sparked a comeback, as the Bulls connected on 10 of its final 13 shots in the period to take a 25-20 lead.
But the Bulls couldn’t sustain the momentum. When Tyler Zeller scored off Bradley’s lob pass midway through the third quarter, the Celtics took a 36-35 lead that wasn’t threatened until the final minute.
After Brooks hit a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to pull the Bulls within 99-96, Olynk split a pair of free throws. Brooks connected on a shot, but Turner, Olynk and Jeff Green answered with two free throws apiece in the final 17 seconds to seal the victory.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Turner filled in for Rondo, who remained in Boston to have screws removed from his surgically repaired left hand. Rondo could be available against Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. Smart is expected to miss two-to-three weeks because of a sprained left ankle and bone bruise, which he suffered in a victory against Indiana on Friday night. “(Smart) feels better, but it’s going to take a couple weeks to get back,” head coach Brad Stevens said. “And that’s hopeful, because sometimes those high ankle sprains are much more difficult than that.”
Bulls: Rose sat out with sprains in both ankles. Veteran Kirk Hinrich started in his place again. “Just out,” Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Rose’s status. “He’s not ready to go yet. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.”
UP NEXT
Celtics: Wednesday night versus Oklahoma City.
Bulls: Monday night versus Detroit.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER?
Given the abundance of injuries around the league thus far, Thibodeau said it was “a good question” whether star players would sit out long stretches of the regular season with the playoffs in mind. “There’s no way to tell until there’s an extended study based on 20 years or so,” he said. “There’s a school of thought that you have to prepare for the grind of the long season. When you study championship teams, you see that commitment to it.”