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Chicago Bulls Take Down Celtics Behind Great Second Half by Jimmy Butler: Recap, Highlights and More

By Zachary Leslie

Apr 16, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) goes to the basket past Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) and center Kelly Olynyk (41) during the third quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) goes to the basket past Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) and center Kelly Olynyk (41) during the third quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Bulls won Game 1 against the Boston Celtics behind a big second half by superstar Jimmy Butler. No one saw this coming, and the Bulls are now sitting pretty.

Final. 102. 18. 106. 24

The series between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics started with terrible news with the passing of Isaiah Thomas‘ sister. Many people believed the Celtics to emerge victorious in game one, especially with everyone playing for IT.

However, the Bulls came out to play and they were crashing the glass early. They shot the three poorly but made up for it by winning the paint and rebounding battles.

Jimmy Butler came to play on Sunday, particularly in the second half. He dropped 23 second-half points, and he put this team on his back when they needed him the most. Not everyone played like Butler, though.

Nikola Mirotic was horrific, but his lack of production was made up for by the tremendous play of Bobby Portis. Other solid contributors included Jerian Grant, Rajon Rondo, and Robin Lopez. Lopez kept the Bulls in the game early when Boston had a ton of momentum.

The Bulls had a nine-point lead with 1:30 to go, and ended up turning the ball over a little too much, letting the Celtics back in it late. However, Butler would hit huge free throws down the stretch to ice the game away. Chicago got a huge Game 1 victory and proved that this will end up being a real series.

Highlights

Fantastic find by Dwayne Wade here.

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/853760145276489728

Portis for three!

Great shot by Al Horford at the buzzer.

Suffocating defensive play.

Vintage D-Wade.

Not so vintage D-Wade.

Bobby Portis was an absolute stud for the Chicago Bulls in Game 1.

Three Stars

Jimmy Butler: 30 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists

Butler was so clutch down the stretch. He put this team on his shoulders and took over. It was clear he wanted to win this one. He is the best player on the court in this series.

Robin Lopez: 14 points and 11 rebounds

Lopez was the reason the Bulls were even in the game, to begin with. He rebounded the ball so well and he had plenty of second chance points. If Lopez does not have the interior presence he had, the Bulls don’t win this game. It’s that simple.

Bobby Portis: 19 points and 9 rebounds

Man, what a game by Bobby Portis. No one probably expected him to play like he did, but he hit some big shots, including two threes. If he can keep playing like he did in Game 1, the Chicago Bulls have a real shot to win this series.

Next: Keys to Series for Bulls

Next Game

If Game 1 is an indication, you are not going to want to miss any game in this series. The Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics will face off in Game 2 on Tuesday, April 18 at 7:00 pm CT.

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