Following Sunday's win over the Washington Wizards, Malcolm Brogdon recalled the moment he brought the Celtics' second unit together in an effort to avoid a dropoff when the starters come out.
"We had a game against Chicago when the starters came in and played really well and the second group came in there and laid an egg, didn't play well… let them back in the game and it was too late and they ended up beating us," Brogdon said. "I don't want to see that happen again."
The loss Brogdon was referring to came on Oct. 24. In that loss, the bench shot a combined 12-of-38 (31.6%) and turned the ball over six times.
If you believe in "revenge games," that is what the Celtics bench delivered Friday night. Fueled by a season-high 25 points from Malcolm Brogdon, The Celtics' second unit bounced back in a big way. They outscored the Bulls' bench 41-15 on 15-of-22 (68.2%) shooting, and got to the free-throw line 11 times. With a plus/minus of +11, the Celtics' bench was instrumental in Friday night's win.
Here are three other takeaways from the Celtics' 123-119 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Aggressive Celtics
The Celtics were extremely aggressive attacking the basket. Even with a small lineup, the Celtics outscored the Bulls 52-34 in the paint. They also got to the free-throw line 39 times, including Jayson Tatum shooting a career-high 20 free throws. The Celtics did not have a great night shooting the ball from deep as they were just 9-of-31 (29%), but were able to score by attacking the rim, as Boston shot 61% from inside the three point line.
The three Celtics that impressed most in the paint were Tatum, Brogdon and Jaylen Brown, as they combined for 30 points in the paint. The three also shot a combined 34 free throws and made 28 of them.
Ball Movement
The Celtics have done a nice job moving the ball so far this season, and they did a great job again on Friday. Twenty-four of their 41 made baskets (58.5%) were assisted. The spacing wasn't great at times, but sharing the ball opened up passing lanes allowing guys like Tatum, Brown and Brogdon to get to the rim.
Tatum led the way with six assists, which speaks to how well he was able to contribute in different ways. It's hard to believe a guy who dropped 36 points didn't have a good night shooting, but Tatum really didn't. His ability to score in different ways, like attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line, is what makes him such a dangerous scorer.
30-Point Quarters
This is starting to become a bigger problem. After allowing three more on Friday, the Celtics have now allowed 13 30-point quarters, and you guessed it, one of them occurred in the third quarter. Thankfully for the Celtics, their offense was able to match it with a 30-point third quarter of their own.
There had been some improvements in the last two games on the defensive end for the Celtics, but Friday was a step back. Boston had the opportunity to put Chicago away a couple times but couldn't due to defensive miscues. This needs to be fixed quickly for the Celtics. If the plan is to just wait and hope things get better when Robert Williams returns, it's not going to work.
