Zach LaVine scores 36 points to lead Bulls past Celtics

The Bulls used a 19-4 run to take the lead for good and outscored the Celtics 35-22 in the final period. LaVine was the best player on the floor with 36 points on 11-for-19 shooting. The Celtics were just 14-for-56 (25 percent) from the 3-point line and lost control of the game by 4 points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Tatum led the Celtics with 31 points, but when he reentered the game with six-plus minutes remaining, Boston had lost the lead. Kristaps Porzingis added 20. Dosunmo, who had torched the Celtics in the past, sparked the Chicago run with a series of drives against a sluggish Boston defense.

With the 3-point shot largely abandoning them, the Celtics had to create paint shots with dump ins to Porzingis or attacks to the basket from Tatum. The teams traded buckets for most of the third period until Porzingis gave the Celtics a 74-68 lead with a corner three.

Nikola Vucevic followed with a three and the Bulls then went on a 6-0 run to take a 77-76 lead with 2:31 left.

Porzingis came back with a short jumper and Tatum thrilled the Garden with a streaky dunk. But again the Bulls struck with a Dosunmu three. Pritchard and Tatum ended the third period with threes to give Boston an 86-82 lead.

The Celtics were 11 for 39 from the 3-point line after the third period and missed the first four of the fourth.

Boston had its chances to create distance after taking a 32-24 lead, but wasted a couple of consecutive possessions. Behind a pair of 3-pointers from Patrick Williams, the Bulls went on a 20-9 run to take a 44-41 lead. LaVine, who has been the subject of trade rumors for years and is reportedly drawing interest from the Denver Nuggets, held the Bulls close with 13 points in the final 6:06 of the second period.

After Tatum gave the Celtics a 5-point lead with two free throws, LaVine chipped in with a 3-pointer and then added another after two free throws by Porzingis. Tatum came back with a contested layup to give the Celtics a 57-54 halftime lead.

Boston missed 18 of its 24 23-pointers with Jaylen Brown, Porzingis and Jrue Holiday going 0 for 7. The Bulls, who are second only to the Celtics in 3-point attempts per game, were 10 for 26 with LaVine and Williams combining for seven.

Tatum led the Celtics with 17 points, while Porzingis added 12 and Derrick White 10. Brown, coming off an emotional week after a burglary at his Wellesley home Sunday, was 2 for 7 with 4 points in 19 minutes.

Coming off a three-day break, the Celtics looked stout in the opening period, making just 10 of 29 shots, including 3 of 16 3-point attempts. The ball movement was sharp, but open shots did not call.

Jayson Tatum was the only Celtics starter who appeared in sync, hitting a pair of threes and scoring 12 points as Boston led 25-21. With Sam Hauser out with a sore back, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla gave little-used guard Jaden Springer some rare early minutes, and he responded with strong defense.

Springer played the final three minutes of the first half and six more in the second, grabbing three rebounds. The team’s primary concern with Springer is his lack of offense. The Bulls mostly played off him and offered open 3-pointers. In one sequence, Chicago’s Lonzo Ball completely ignored Springer to double Jaylen Brown before getting fouled.

Kristaps Porzingis, who led Sunday’s win over the Washington Wizards with a sore heel, returned to the lineup and scored 12 points in the first half as the Celtics gave him plenty of chances to take advantage of the mismatch in the paint.