Gasol, Rose lead way as Bulls best Celtics
CHICAGO - Pau Gasol had 17 points and 18 rebounds, Derrick Rose scored 18 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Boston Celtics 101-92 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory.
Related: Derrick Rose finishes strong over Celtics bigs
Gasol's productive output marked the 18th time the 35-year-old Spaniard has recorded a double-double this season.
Hey @paugasol, are you locked in? 🔒 pic.twitter.com/oQuiS1uvdN
— Comcast SportsNet (@CSNChicago) January 8, 2016
Jimmy Butler added 19 points and 10 assists.
The Bulls used a big third quarter to extend their longest win streak of the season - six straight victories - and handed the Celtics their fourth loss in five games.
Boston coach Brad Stevens missed this one to visit cancer-stricken former Butler center Andrew Smith, who played on the Bulldogs' two runs to the national championship game. He has been battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and was scheduled to undergo a bone marrow transplant Thursday, according to The Boston Globe.
Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga filled in for Stevens.
Jay Larranaga says of differences between he and Brad Stevens, w a laugh, "My ATOs (after timeout plays) aren't going to be as good as his."
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 8, 2016
Boston had seven different players chipping in with double-digit scoring efforts; Jae Crowder (17), Kelly Olynyk (16), Isaiah Thomas (14), Jared Sullinger (13), Amir Johnson (12) and Marcus Smart (10).
The Celtics' record (19-17) has them in a tie with the Orlando Magic for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, while the second-seeded Bulls improve to 22-12.
- with files from theScore