BOSTON – Jonathan Gibson is a man on borrowed time right now, a guard with 10 days to impress the Boston Celtics.
It’s hard to imagine his first day on the job going much better than it did in Boston’s 111-104 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Gibson, who signed a 10-day contract with the Celtics Friday morning, came off the bench to score nine points on 3-of-6 shooting with all of his scoring in the fourth quarter which was the first chance he got to be in the game.
"That's how you come out and turn some heads," said Boston's Jaylen Brown. "He came out, got hot quick, made some good plays and that's what you want to see. As a player in his situation, you can only help yourself doing something like that. It was real dope to see how excited he was."
Head coach Brad Stevens had indicated that Gibson was signed in large part because of his ability to shoot the ball, which you might think would mean added pressure on him when he entered the game.
“No, no pressure,” Gibson told reporters. “I’m an aggressive player, been like that my whole life. It’s a natural for me.”
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Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s 111-104 win over the Chicago Bulls which snapped a two-game losing skid for the Celtics.
STARS
Jaylen Brown: One of the more improved second-year players in the NBA, Brown took his game to another level and never came back to earth until the final horn sounded. He had a career-high 32 points on 11-for-19 shooting which included him draining seven of his 10 three-point attempts.
Greg Monroe: The former lottery pick delivered in a big way for Boston in what was arguably his most impressive performance with the Celtics. Monroe tallied his second career triple-double, scoring 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He was the first Celtics center with a triple-double since Robert Parish in 1987
Lauri Markkanen: The 7-foot rookie once again showed why he’s one of the more promising talents from his draft class. He had 20 points for Chicago on 7-for-11 shooting which included 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
STUDS
Jabari Bird: People forget about the defensive job Bird did in Boston’s first win of the season way back when against the Philadelphia 76ers. Well on Friday night it was his scoring that helped elevate Boston to victory. He tallied a career-high 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
Sean Kilpatrick: Close to signing a 10-day contract with the Celtics, Kilpatrick showed Celtics fans at the TD Garden why Danny Ainge and company were so high on him. He led the Bulls with 24 points off the bench on 8-for-13 shooting which included knocking down five of his seven 3-point attempts.
Jonathan Gibson: Signed by the Celtics Friday morning, Gibson did not waste any time delivering on his greatest strength as a player – making shots. He finished with nine points in nine minutes, connecting on three of his five 3-point attempts along with dishing out two assists.
DUDS
Morris, Portis ejection: Specifically, the officials that called a pair of technical fouls on Boston’s Marcus Morris and Chicago’s Bobby Portis, resulting in both players being ejected with 1:44 to play in the third quarter. “Talking man, too much talking,” Morris told NBC Sports Boston. “He was talking. I was like, ‘go ahead man with all that talking.’” Said Portis: “I walked in there to play (defense), and the refs called a tech. It doesn’t make sense. I’ve been making techs all year that don’t make sense.”
