CHICAGO — Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Al Horford added 17 on 7-of-7 shooting and the Boston Celtics routed the Chicago Bulls 117-94 on Wednesday night for their 50th victory.
The Celtics have won three in a row and are 27-6 since Jan. 22. They’re in second place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of Milwaukee and Philadelphia. Boston plays at Milwaukee on Thursday.
Jayson Tatum had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Boston. He was 5 of 18 from the field, making only 1 of 8 from 3-point range.
DeMar DeRozan scored 16 points for Chicago – 12 below his season average.
The Celtics had a 16-4 run midway through the first quarter to take a 31-14 lead. They shot 57.8% in the first half, going 9 of 18 from 3-point range. Reserve guard Payton Pritchard was 3 for 3 from long distance in the second quarter.
Coming off a home loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday night, the Bulls committed 10 turnovers in the first half. Their front-court depth was weakened when forward Patrick Williams committed his fourth foul with 4:31 left in the second quarter.
Bulls guard Zach LaVine was 1 of 5 from the filed in the first quarter, didn’t attempt a shot in the second quarter and finished 2 of 9. He had seven points.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Center Robert Williams (knee) remained in Boston to help “expedite the process” of his recovery, Coach Ime Udoka said. Williams hasn’t played since March 27 and is likely to miss the first round of the playoffs.
Bulls: Guard Alex Caruso was ruled out because of a sore back. “He’s just not moving like he normally does,” said Billy Donovan, adding that Caruso has been coping with the residual effects of a sore wrist he fractured on Jan. 21. Guard Matt Thomas (right leg bruise) also was ruled out.
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