The Boston Celtics decimated the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, 134-99, to improve to a 2-1 record on the young season.
It was a complete team effort in every area of the game. Boston shot 49.5% from the field and a whopping 47.7% from deep, and it held the Bulls to 39.3% and 27.3% shooting splits (Norman Powell did score 20 points on 5-for-11 shooting, including 4-for-7 from deep, but only three other players on the team scored in double digits -- Caleb Wilson scored 17 points, and Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis each scored 11).
Everybody on the Celtics' roster played great and made an impact (Mike Conley even scored six points in this game), but these were the three players who stood out the most:
Stud: Payton Pritchard
Against Chicago, Payton Pritchard scored a game-high 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting (including 7-for-10 from three), including a 19-point masterclass in the third quarter (on 7-for-8 shooting, 5-for-5 from deep). He also recorded four assists, two steals, and a rebound in 22 minutes off the bench.
It looks like Boston is committing to keeping the Oregon native in his sixth-man role instead of making him a full-time starter, and even though that decision could be debated, it's no surprise to see him picking up where he left off these last few seasons.
When he's hot, Pritchard is unstoppable. He is a microwave who can score from anywhere on the court, and he's a legitimate asset to the Celtics. There will be nights (like this one) when he looks like the best player on the court, even if he is technically a bench player.
Stud: Hugo Gonzalez
Hugo Gonzalez was mostly a non-factor through the Celtics' first two games of the season, but he came alive against the Bulls and made an impact.
In the win, the second-year wing recorded 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting (1-for-3 from deep), five rebounds, two assists, and a block in 24 minutes. In usual Gonzalez fashion, he brought a lot of energy against Chicago and moved the ball around, attacked the glass, pushed the tempo in transition, and did a fantastic job of getting to the basket while also being everywhere defensively.
Given how his season started, Gonzalez's performance against the Bulls is very promising. There's some real momentum for him to build on now, and it will be exciting to see where he goes from here.
Stud: Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum's performance against Chicago wasn't necessarily stellar or jaw-dropping (23 points on 7-for-17 shooting from the field and 2-for-5 from deep, seven rebounds, six assists, one steal in 28 minutes), but he once again proved he has what it takes to be Boston's top guy.
Tatum's performance against the Detroit Pistons left a lot to be desired, mostly because of his inefficiency and passivity, but he seemed to have figured things out against the New York Knicks, and he built on that against the Bulls.
On Monday night, the St. Louis native looked comfortable and made his presence felt everywhere. Even though it was just against the Bulls, it was good to see Tatum look even more confident as the Celtics' alpha and contribute to winning basketball.
For the Celtics to have any legitimate success this season, a lot of that will fall on Tatum. But very early on, it looks like he's up to the task, and his performance against Chicago is proof of that.
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