DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls reacts after scoring in the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on November 1, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. Adam Glanzman/Getty Images/AFP
DeMar DeRozan had a game-high 37 points on 15-of-20 shooting with seven rebounds, Zach LaVine had 26 points and seven assists and the Chicago Bulls rallied past the Boston Celtics for a 128-114 road win on Monday night.
The Celtics led by as many as 19 points late in the third quarter before the Bulls responded with a 29-9 surge between quarters to take a 106-105 lead on Ayo Dosunmu’s 3-pointer with 6:53 remaining.
Chicago stretched its lead to double figures after that and outscored Boston 39-11 overall in the final quarter.
Dosunmu finished with 14 points, Lonzo Ball added 12 and Nikola Vucevic totaled 11 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Bulls, who earned their sixth win in seven games to open the season.
🔥 @DeMar_DeRozan drops a season-high 37 PTS to lead the way for the @chicagobulls! pic.twitter.com/9txkFAqKxf
— NBA (@NBA) November 2, 2021
Jaylen Brown had 28 points and seven rebounds to lead the Celtics. Jayson Tatum scored 20, Al Horford chipped in 20 with 10 rebounds and Marcus Smart scored 16 for Boston.
Boston dropped to 2-5, marking its worst seven-game start since beginning the 2006-07 campaign with six losses in seven games.
Boston was up 67-59 at halftime after Brown scored 15 of his 17 first-half points in the second quarter.
With the Celtics trailing 46-35, Brown’s layup at the 8:28 mark of the second quarter started a 13-2 run in which he scored all of his team’s points, capped by a 3-pointer to tie the game at 48 with 5:56 left before halftime.
DeRozan scored 11 of his 21 first-half points in the opening quarter to help get the Bulls off to a quick start. Chicago led 20-11 midway through the period before Boston used on a 24-14 run to go up 35-34 entering the second.
Chicago wraps up its quick two-game road trip at Philadelphia on Wednesday, while Boston opens a three-game road swing at Orlando on Wednesday.