National Basketball Association
Boston 114, Chicago 112
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, January 15, 2022
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Officials: #11 Derrick Collins, #72 JT Orr, #29 Mark Lindsay
Attendance: 19156

Robert Williams III scored six of his team's final 10 points, including the game-winning free throws with 9.7 seconds remaining, as the host Boston Celtics rallied past the short-handed Chicago Bulls for a 114-112 win on Saturday night.

Chicago went up 108-101 with just over four minutes to play before Boston used an 11-4 run to tie it at 112 after a pair of Williams free throws with 31 seconds to play.

DeMar DeRozan missed a stepback jumper with 9.7 seconds left and Nikola Vucevic committed a loose ball foul on the rebound. Williams made two more free throws to make it 114-112, and Vucevic missed a 3-pointer and DeRozan misfired on an 11-footer to end the game.

Jayson Tatum had a team-high 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Jaylen Brown added 19 points to lead the Celtics. Dennis Schroder added 16 points with eight assists, Al Horford had 15 with eight rebounds and Williams totaled 14 points, 13 boards and six assists.

Boston bounced back from a 111-99 loss at Philadelphia on Friday with its sixth win in nine games.

Vucevic had a game-high 27 points, DeRozan had 23 with eight rebounds and seven assists as Ayo Dosunmu added career-highs of 21 points and 10 assists for the Bulls.

Coby White added 19 points for Chicago, which suffered its third straight defeat and fourth in its last five games.

Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine missed the game after suffering a left knee injury in Friday's loss to the Golden State Warriors. An MRI exam on Saturday reportedly revealed no structural damage to LaVine's knee.

Chicago guard Lonzo Ball was a game-time scratch with left knee soreness. The Bulls were also without Alex Caruso (foot), Derrick Jones (bone bruise in right knee), Javonte Green (right adductor strain), Tyler Cook (ankle) and Patrick Williams (wrist).

Celtics guard Marcus Smart missed his third straight game after entering the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocol prior to Friday's loss at Philadelphia.

Boston led 54-49 at halftime after being up as many as 12 points early in the second quarter.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Chicago   Boston
Nikola Vucevic 27 Scoring Jayson Tatum 23
Ayo Dosunmu 10 Assists Dennis Schroder 8
DeMar DeRozan 8 Rebounds Robert Williams III 13
DeMar DeRozan 9 Free Throws Made Jayson Tatum 6
Nikola Vucevic 2 Steals Jaylen Brown 4
DeMar DeRozan 1 Blocks Jayson Tatum 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Chicago 112 50.6 12-29 12-15 31 32 3 3 6
Boston 114 48.9 9-26 17-19 27 50 6 6 11
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Celtics have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .565 after a loss.
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Memphis. The Bulls have a W/L % of .679 after a win and .615 after a loss.