The Boston Celtics flirted with a return to their slow starts against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center Monday night.
The Massachusetts franchise came out without much of a sense of urgency on either side of the ball, and the Bulls kept pace with Boston until nearly the midpoint of the first frame.
Starting point guard Kemba Walker got cooking with a few quick layups and a trey to put the Celtics up 18-9 with just under five minutes left in the quarter.
Rookie forward Grant Williams hurt his shoulder trying to guard Chicago guard Tomas Satoransky, wincing in pain for some moments before heading back to the locker room, where he was diagnosed with shoulder soreness per the Athletics’ Jared Weiss.
Williams would return in the second half, Boston carrying a 55-37 lead into the break.
The Bulls cut the lead to six late in the third quarter on a Zach LaVine 3-pointer as the Celtics took their foot off the gas a bit, but Boston snapped out of their malaise as Williams hit a three of his own.
Chicago never really threatened again, and the Celtics came away with a healthy 113-101 win.
Boston was led by a balanced attack, with swingman Jayson Tatum scoring 21 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, while wing Jaylen Brown added 19, and floor general Kemba Walker added 14 points and 2 blocks.
Center Enes Kanter had 15 points and 9 boards in his first start since the end of November, and reserve guard Marcus Smart had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists off the bench.
Guard Zach LaVine led Chicago with 30 points and 5 rebounds on 9-of-18 shooting, and Satoransky chipped in 12 points and 7 assists. Veteran forward Thad Young added 17 points off the bench for the Bulls.
The Boston Celtics next play the Detroit Pistons at 7pm ET on Jan. 15 at TD Garden.
