A Boston team comes in on a winning streak, builds some in-game momentum, then falls apart defensively and sees a once-competitive game turn into a Chicago runaway.
That not only covers Monday's Patriots-Bears game, but Monday's Celtics-Bulls game as well. All that was missing for the Celtics was the quarterback controversy.
For a moment, it looked like the Celtics were going to cruise to their fourth straight win to open the season. They jumped out to a 12-0 lead and led by as many as 19 points in the first quarter.
Then the wheels fell off. The Bulls finished the first quarter on a 14-4 run, then outscored Boston 35-15 in the second to take an 11-point lead into the half. They turned it into a 21-point lead with 35 more points in the third, and that was more than enough to wrap up what would ultimately be a 120-102 victory.
While the Celtics did go cold shooting and hit some offensive struggles for a stretch, it was the defense and rebounding that were the biggest concerns in this one. Both had been under-the-surface issues covered up by the offense and the wins, but there was no covering up Monday night.
The Celtics gave up 30-plus points in each of the first three quarters and got out-rebounded 60-45 for the night. Nikola Vucevic alone had 23 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards. That came two nights after they gave up 68 points in the first half against Orlando and got out-rebounded 48-37.
For the season, the Celtics now rank 24th in the NBA in defensive rating (117.0) and 22nd in rebounding percentage (48.7%). That stands in stark contrast to last season, when they led the NBA in defensive rating (106.2) and were 10th in rebounding (50.9%).
Obviously, they miss Robert Williams, who is the anchor of their defense when healthy. Al Horford has had to take on the bulk of center duties in Time Lord's absence, which is a big ask for the 36-year-old, especially with a smaller lineup around him most of the time.
"We have to be better," Horford said. "The way that we're playing now, we're playing with four guards out there and we're trying to play fast and do things. It's an understanding that everybody has to be able to get in there and rebound, especially when we're cross-matched. A lot of the night, I was out on the perimeter guarding someone, the shot was going up, and we have to find ways to be able to come up with them, because that's the way that we're gonna be able to play that style."
So far, the bench combination of Noah Vonleh, Blake Griffin and Luke Kornet is not doing much to ease any of the concerns about the Celtics' frontcourt depth that have been present since the team lost Danilo Gallinari and then Williams.
Full play here as Bulls can play 2-on-1 on the perimeter with Noah Vonleh in drop coverage and parked in the paint. pic.twitter.com/Ywawxc9m6i
— Hoop Informatics 🏀📊🎥 (@HoopInformatics) October 25, 2022
Williams is expected to return in a month or two, but the Celtics must start the work of fixing their defense and rebounding before then.
"We took our foot off the gas, I guess," reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart said after Monday's loss. "They started making shots, we started missing shots, and I guess it started to affect us on the defensive end. We can't have that. No matter whether we're making shots or not, we have to stay consistent on the defensive end and we have to help each other out."
The Celtics will get a couple days of practice to try to clean things up before they return to game action Friday at TD Garden against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
