On Friday, a last-second 3-pointer from the left corner helped lift the Celtics to a dramatic win in Brooklyn.
One night later, a shot from the same spot handed them a loss in Chicago.
Bulls wing Kevin Huerter’s corner three with 0.2 seconds remaining buried a tired Boston squad in a 114-111 victory at the United Center. It was the last of 21 made treys in the game for Chicago, which shot 47% from beyond the arc.
Jaylen Brown, who showed no signs of fatigue after playing 46 minutes in the double-overtime win over the Nets, tied the game with a coast-to-coast layup with 14.5 seconds to play. But the Celtics’ defense, after holding Chicago scoreless for the previous three-plus minutes, cracked on the ensuing possession, granting Huerter an open look.
Brown totaled a game-high 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes. Anfernee Simons scored 21 points off the bench on 8-of-16 shooting and added two steals. Derrick White, who sat out Friday’s game for rest purposes, finished with 15-7-7 but couldn’t shake his monthlong shooting slump, going 5-for-18 from the field and 3-for-11 from three.
Boston shot 32% from deep as a team, with Simons accounting for one-third of its 15 made threes.
After playing six of their last seven on the road, the 28-14 Celtics will open a four-game homestand Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. It will be the first game back at TD Garden for 2024 champion Jrue Holiday. Kristaps Porzingis, now with the Atlanta Hawks, is scheduled to make his return to Causeway Street on Wednesday, though his playing status is uncertain as he deals with Achilles tendonitis.
The Celtics trotted out a new starting lineup against the Bulls, giving Amari Williams the nod for the first time in his career. Usual starting center Neemias Queta was active after being listed as probable with an illness, but head coach Joe Mazzulla rolled with the rookie, whose clutch plays in overtime Friday night helped Boston put away the Nets. Williams was the 12th different Celtic to start a game this season.
Luka Garza was Boston’s first frontcourt sub, suggesting the team might have been hoping to give Queta a night off. But Garza tweaked his ankle shortly after checking in, and Queta replaced him.
Garza later returned, and the Celtics resumed their standard center rotation for the remainder of the first half, cycling between him and Queta. Queta totaled 24 minutes, Garza 14 and Williams 10.
Boston led 58-52 at halftime thanks to 20 points from Brown on 8-of-14 shooting. Simons scored 12 before halftime, and Jordan Walsh helped fuel a second-quarter push by hitting a corner three and turning a pinpoint White outlet pass into an open dunk.
The Celtics shot just 29% from 3-point range in the first half (7-for-24) but benefited from better ball security. They swiped six first-half steals — including two by Queta in transition — to Chicago’s zero and owned an 8-0 edge in points off turnovers.
The Bulls then opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run against a sluggish Celtics defense, successfully targeting Queta on three straight possessions. Coby White and Isaac Okoro combined for 24 third-quarter points for Chicago as the hosts built an eight-point lead.
Simons erased that deficit with two 3-pointers, sandwiched around a second-chance Williams dunk, as part of an 8-0 Celtics run that tied it at 88-88 early in the fourth quarter.
White then took the controls of Boston’s offense, even in another subpar shooting night. The veteran guard hit two fourth-quarter threes, drew a shooting foul and scored or assisted on six consecutive Celtics field goals.
Those kept the Celtics within striking distance amid a deluge of 3-pointers from the hot-shooting Bulls, who made their first six of the final quarter. When Chicago finally cooled, Boston capitalized, pulling even in the final minute on Brown’s fast-break layup.
That’s when Huerter shut the door on the Celtics, winning the game with a shot reminiscent of the one Hugo Gonzalez hit to force a second overtime 24 hours earlier.
The Celtics now will have one night to rest before facing the Trail Blazers back in Boston. That brief respite should be especially helpful for Brown, who posted the following stats during his team’s two-city back-to-back: 60 points, 18 rebounds, 17 assists, four turnovers and 83 minutes played — the most he’s logged in consecutive regular-season games since March 2023.
