Celtics at Bulls
The Boston Celtics have climbed out of an early hole and look to finally put away the Chicago Bulls in their first-round series when the teams meet in the Windy City for Game 6 on Friday. After road teams won the first four games of the best-of-seven set, the Celtics claimed Game 5 at home Wednesday night to seize a 3-2 series advantage and put the pesky Bulls against the wall.
"I mean, it's kinda been the story of our team, being able to fight through adversity," Boston guard Avery Bradley told reporters. "No matter what we go through, we would overcome it. And I think it's a group of guys, our coaching staff, we believe. We believe in one another." Chicago won the first two games behind the dynamic play of point guard Rajon Rondo before he fractured his right thumb and speculation was building that the one-time Celtics star would return before the series ended, but coach Fred Hoiberg insisted that was "a long shot." Instead, the Bulls will enter a do-or-die contest looking for more from one of their remaining stars. Jimmy Butler was held to a series-low 14 points in Game 5 and is shooting 38.5 percent in Chicago's three straight losses.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, CSN New England (Boston), CSN Chicago
ABOUT THE CELTICS: Bradley matched fellow guard Isaiah Thomas with 24 points in Game 5 but he was much more efficient, shooting 11-of-19 from the floor, compared to 6-of-17 for Thomas. "Even the stat sheet doesn't explain how good of a player he is sometimes," Thomas told the media of Bradley. "When he's not scoring or rebounding, he's doing a lot of things to help out everybody else on this team, whether that be help-side defense, whether that be making the right play on offense. He’s a complete basketball player." Center Al Horford has been making a bigger impact as the series drags on, averaging 18 points, nine rebounds, 6.3 assists and two steals in Boston's three victories.
ABOUT THE BULLS: Butler took just two shots during Boston's decisive 20-4 run in the fourth quarter, prompting Hoiberg to insist that the team needs to get its All-Star the ball a bit more down the stretch. Some wondered if a nagging knee issue was the reason Butler lacked his usual aggressiveness but he downplayed questions about the knee and said he will be fine for Game 6. While Butler sagged in Game 5, Dwyane Wade had his best outing since returning from an elbow injury late in the regular season, finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Butler attempted zero free throws in Game 3, 23 in Game 4 and one in Game 5.
2. Thomas made 1-of-10 3-pointers in Wednesday's win and is 5-for-31 from beyond the arc over the past four games.
3. Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Boston.