Although he is still reeling from the loss of his sister last week, Isaiah Thomas is playing as dominantly as ever.
The All-Star guard, whose younger sister Chyna died in a tragic car accident in her home state of Washington just over a week ago, scored 33 points to lift the Boston Celtics to a 104-95 road victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
With the Game 4 win, the Celtics have now evened their first-round Eastern Conference Series 2-2.
Thomas credited his teammates for inspiring confidence in him during this emotionally difficult time in his life. The point guard also scored 33 points the day after his sister’s death, although the Celtics lost that game, the team’s opener of the NBA playoffs before which they held a moment of silence to honor Chyna Thomas.
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“Mentally and emotionally, I’m not here so I just feed off what the guys give me,” Thomas said. “They give me a lot of confidence. I can’t do it without those guys. They believe in me and being here is what makes me feel sane and somewhat normal through these tough times.”
The guard helped spur a third-quarter run after Chicago erased a 20-point deficit and briefly gained the lead. The Celtics have now won two straight on the road after losing the first two games of the series in Boston, where they will return for Game 5 on Wednesday.
Gerald Green added 18 points for the Celtics, including four 3-pointers, and Al Horford contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Boston led by 20 points in the second quarter and were still ahead by 10 in the third when Chicago scored 12 in a row. The Bulls gained a 65-63 lead on Robin Lopez’s hook shot with 4:53 remaining in the period.
Thomas countered with back-to-back layups and recorded 10 points in a 12-0 burst that put the Celtics up 75-65. Boston stood firm against Chicago’s pressure early in the fourth.
Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 33 points and nine assists. Nikola Mirotic and Isaiah Canaan added 13 points each, while Dwyane Wade only contributed 11 points.
Canaan, who rarely plays, participated in his first game since April 10. Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg was seeking a strong replacement at point guard for Rajon Rondo, who missed his second consecutive game due to a broken right thumb.
”Just like last game, we were using a lot of energy just to come back,” Wade said. ”Better starts here at home could’ve did us a little justice. I thought they did a great job of sticking with their game plan, making tough shots offensively.”
Rondo was also fined by the NBA in Game 3 for attempting to trip Celtics forward Jae Crowder from the bench in Game 3 in Chicago on Friday. Crowder mouthed off at the Bulls’ bench after scoring a jumper and Rondo stuck his leg out as Crowder walked by him.
Hoiberg, meanwhile, lauded Thomas as an “unbelievable competitor” and a “warrior.”
”When you’re allowed to discontinue your dribble on every possession he’s impossible to guard,” Hoiberg said. ”When you’re able to put your hand underneath the ball and take two or three steps and put it back down, it’s impossible to guard him in those situations.”
Thomas was 1-of-9 on three-pointers but scored 12 of 13 free throws.
Boston led 41-21 early in the second quarter, although the game began to turn around after Canaan stole the ball from Marcus Smart and scored on a layup. Tension arose between Smart and Butler after the former pretended to throw the ball at the latter, and both players drew technical fouls. Shortly afterwards, the Bulls went on a scoring run to retake the lead.
Game 5 is Wednesday night at TD Garden.
Also on Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Pacers 106-102 in Indiana to win their first-round series 4-0, and the Houston Rockets beat the Thunder 113-109 in Oklahoma City to lead their series 3-0. The Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-98 in Salt Lake City Sunday to tie their first-round series 2-2.
On Monday night, the Golden State Warriors visit the Portland for Game 4 after beating the Trail Blazers 119-113 at Moda Center on Saturday to take a 3-0 series lead.
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