Celtics 104, Bulls 92
The NBA’s best shooting team shot the lights again on Friday night as the host Boston Celtics hit 53 percent from the floor on the way to an easy 104-92 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Kevin Garnett paced the Celtics, which put all five starters in double-figures, with 20 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 12 points and 19 assists for Boston, which won its sixth straight game.
Boston (15-4) never trailed. Chicago rallied to tie the contest a couple of times but each time the Celtics responded with runs.
Ray Allen had 10 points in the first quarter as Boston took a 31-19 lead. He finished with 14 points.
Chicago went on a long run and tied the game at 34, but Boston shot 54 percent from the field in the first half and led 53-48 at the break.
Paul Pierce capped an 11-1 run with a driving layup midway through the third quarter to give Boston a 64-53 edge and Chicago never got the deficit under double digits the rest of the way. The Celtics improved to 9-1 at home.
Derrick Rose led the Bulls (9-8) with 20 points. Carlos Boozer scored 12 points in 21 minutes in his second game of the season.