Daniel Theis scored a career-high 22 points on Saturday and Boston opened the game with 17 consecutive points as they rolled to an easy 133-77 victory over hosts the Chicago Bulls.
Jaylen Brown scored a team-best 23 points and Jayson Tatum hit four three-point attempts while scoring 18 points as the Celtics won their season-best fifth straight contest.
Terry Rozier added 15 points, Kyrie Irving and Semi Ojeleye each scored 13 and Marcus Morris tallied 12 for Boston.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Shaquille Harrison scored 20 points, Zach LaVine added 11 and Cameron Payne 10 for the Bulls.
The franchise-worst 56-point defeat occurred in Jim Boylen’s third game as coach.
Boston shot 53.8 percent overall and was 22 of 43 from three-point range. The Bulls shot 38.3 percent and were six of 24 from three-point range.
Chicago missed their first 11 field goal attempts, while the Celtics were scoring the first 17 points. Morris’ dunk with 6 minutes, 12 seconds left capped Boston’s burst.
Jabari Parker’s two free-throws with 5:42 to play were the Bulls’ first points, and Robin Lopez’s basket 36 seconds later was the team’s first field goal.
The Celtics held a 20-point lead on Gordon Hayward’s three-pointer with 33.1 seconds left before settling for a 35-17 advantage.
Boston led 43-21 early in the second quarter after Rozier drained a three-pointer with 9:47 left in the half. LaVine’s three-point play moved Chicago within 48-33 with 6:17 to play, but Marcus Smart knocked down a three-pointer with nine seconds left to give the Celtics a 64-43 halftime lead.
The assault continued in the third quarter as Boston pushed the lead to more than 30 for the first time when Irving buried a three-pointer to make it 83-51 with 5:41 left.
In Saturday’s other games, it was:
‧ Capitals 4, Blue Jackets 0
‧ Mavericks 107, Rockets 104
‧ Lakers 111, Grizzlies 88
‧ Hawks 106, Nuggets 98
‧ Nets 112, Knicks 104
‧ Pacers 107, Kings 97
‧ Cavaliers 116, Wizards 101
‧ T’Blazers 113, Timberwolves 105
‧ Heat 121, Clippers 98
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