NBA

Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls

· NBA Cup - Group Play
16-3, 9-1 Away
Final
138 - 129

8-13, 2-7 Home

Tatum scores 35, Pritchard adds 29 off the bench and Celtics outlast Bulls 138-129

Jaylen Brown absolutely posterizes Jalen Smith

Reserve Payton Pritchard added a season-best 29 points, including 11 straight during a fourth-quarter run that gave the Celtics the lead for good.

Nikola Vucevic scored a season-high 32 points and had 11 rebounds for Chicago, which could have secured a spot in the Cup quarterfinals with a victory. Atlanta, which defeated Cleveland earlier in the day, secured the Group C berth and will advance to the knockout round.

Boston still as a shot at the wild-card berth but it depends on the outcome of Tuesday’s games.

Zach LaVine added 29 points for the Bulls, including four 3-pointers to become the franchise's career leader in made 3s.

Tied at 108, Pritchard made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to start an 11-4 run that gave Boston breathing room. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis each added 21 points.

Takeaways Celtics: Boston had its complete roster available for the first time this season but only three reserves played significant minutes. It didn’t hurt that Pritchard, who played 28 minutes and most of the fourth quarter, was part of that trio.

Bulls: LaVine’s third 3-pointer with 3:05 to play pulled the Bulls within 125-122 and made him the franchise’s career leader. He finished with four 3s and now has 1,051, two more than Kirk Hinrich.

Key moment Pritchard hit a deep 3-pointer with 5:25 to play to cap his 11-point spurt and put Boston ahead 119-112. He finished the night 7 for 11 from behind the arc and scored all but five of the Celtics’ 34 bench points.

Key stat The Celtics were 15 for 23 from the floor in the fourth quarter.

Up next Boston travels to Cleveland on Sunday. Chicago welcomes Brooklyn on Monday night.

Regular Season Series

BOS leads series 1-0

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 138 - 129
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 138 - 129
4th 0.0 (00:00) [Celtics] REF-INITIATED REVIEW (REPLAY SUPPORTS CALL) 138 - 129
4th 0.0 Sam Hauser makes 25-foot three point shot (Jayson Tatum assists) 138 - 129
4th 1.1 Sam Hauser enters the game for Al Horford 135 - 129

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/bos.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBOS https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/chi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHI
49-98 FG 48-93
50 Field Goal % 52
23-54 3PT 20-51
43 Three Point % 39
17-23 FT 13-16
74 Free Throw % 81
51 Rebounds 43
11 Offensive Rebounds 5
40 Defensive Rebounds 38
24 Assists 28
6 Steals 7
2 Blocks 2
9 Turnovers 8
0 Team Turnovers 0
9 Total Turnovers 8
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
17 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 4
16 Fast Break Points 17
50 Points in Paint 52
13 Fouls 17
13 Largest Lead 9
Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Josh Giddey, G Out May 13
Rob Dillingham, G Out Apr 23
Isaac Okoro, F Out Apr 11
Matas Buzelis, F Out Apr 11
Anfernee Simons, G Out Apr 10
Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Jayson Tatum, F Out May 2

Game Information

United Center

Location: Chicago, IL
Attendance: 19,798 · Capacity:

2025-26 Atlantic Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Boston 56 26 .683 - W2
New York 53 29 .646 3 L1
Toronto 46 36 .561 10 W1
Philadelphia 45 37 .549 11 W2
Brooklyn 20 62 .244 36 L3

2025-26 Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Detroit 60 22 .732 - W3
Cleveland 52 30 .634 8 W1
Milwaukee 32 50 .390 28 L1
Chicago 31 51 .378 29 L2
Indiana 19 63 .232 41 L2
Full Standings

NBA News

Brian Windhorst: Pistons' supporting cast let Cade Cunningham down

Brian Windhorst: Pistons' supporting cast let Cade Cunningham down

Brian Windhorst goes in on the Pistons for not being able to help Cade Cunningham close out Game 5 against the Cavaliers.

The Warrior still remains

The Warrior still remains

Steve Kerr had nothing left to prove. But at a crossroads in his career, facing down the pains of his past convinced him he had everything left to play for.

NBA offseason: What 10 Giannis trade contenders can offer Bucks

NBA offseason: What 10 Giannis trade contenders can offer Bucks

Bobby Marks examines 10 teams with draft assets, players, contracts -- and challenges -- in the pursuit of Giannis.

Wembanyama and the Spurs look to clinch series against Minnesota

Wembanyama and the Spurs look to clinch series against Minnesota

San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference)

Mitchell and the Cavaliers look to clinch series against Detroit

Mitchell and the Cavaliers look to clinch series against Detroit

Detroit Pistons (60-22, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30, fourth in the Eastern Conference)