Chicago Bulls Defeat Boston Celtics For Sixth Straight Victory

The Chicago Bulls have displayed a very strong offense as of late, but they are unhesitant to credit their defense for their latest winning streak and quick rise up the NBA’s scoring rankings.

CHICAGO BULLS DEFEAT BOSTON CELTICS FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT VICTORY

The Bulls beat the Boston Celtics 101-92 on Thursday at the United Center in Chicago to secure their sixth consecutive victory.

After trailing 43-33 in the second quarter, the Bulls managed to defeat the Celtics 15-4 in the final four minutes of the first half to gain a 48-47 lead.

“That’s what really won us the game,” guard Jimmy Butler said of the Bulls’ defensive strength. “We were out there guarding, we rebounded, and we got a lot of easy baskets. When we’re playing like that, we look really good out there.”

Butler and Pau Gasol led the Bulls with 19 points and 10 assists, and 17 points and 18 rebounds respectively. Gasol got his 19^th double-double this season.

Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga, 40, led the team while head coach Brad Stevens visited a former player of his who had been hospitalized in Indiana with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Chicago’s last six wins have all been against Eastern Conference opponents: Chicago has now improved to 13-8 in the East. They started the game ranked ninth in the NBA with an average of 102.2 points per game, and scored 100-plus points in their ninth consecutive outing.

Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk led Boston with 17 and 16 points respectively. The Celtics have dropped their last two games and four of their past five.

CHICAGO, IL – NOVEMBER 16: Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls tries to get off a shot under pressure from C.J. Miles #0 and Ian Mahinmi #28 of the Indiana Pacers at the United Center on November 16, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.