We have seen the Boston Celtics on the short end of a few -- OK, quite a few -- bad losses this season.
But Saturday’s 126-116 defeat to the Chicago Bulls ranks among the worst of the lot.
It was a game that the Celtics (37-23) needed to win far more than the Bulls who have now won three in a row but have a total of just 16 wins this season.
While Zach LaVine had one of the best scoring nights of his career, that wasn’t why Boston suffered a loss to Chicago which snapped Boston’s five-game winning streak over the Bulls.
They lost because the Bulls played harder, with greater effort and intensity for all but the first few minutes of the game.
☘️BULLS 126, CELTICS 116
And remember, it was Chicago -- not Boston -- that had played the night before while the Celtics were returning to action after losing a heartbreaker at Milwaukee on Thursday.
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Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s loss:
STARS
Zach LaVine: The Celtics didn’t contest his shot-taking nearly as well as they needed to, showing that he’s more than an above-the-rim finisher. He led all scorers with a career-high 42 points to go with five rebounds, making him the fourth player this season to light up the Celtics for 40 or more points.
Kyrie Irving: He came up with some big shots in the second half, bringing the Celtics within single digits after having trailed by as many as 25 points. Irving led Boston with 37 points to go with 10 assists.
Lauri Markkanen: The 7-foot big man has been on a tear lately when it comes to shooting the ball and Saturday was no exception. He tallied a career-high 35 points and 15 rebounds.
STUDS
Al Horford: In the game’s early moments, Horford was a dominant factor. But for whatever reason, the offense didn’t go through him as much in the second half of what still was a solid night for Horford who finished with 19 points.
Robin Lopez: Several players stepped up for the Bulls, including Robin Lopez tallied 17 points to go with six rebounds.
DUDS
Terry Rozier: It wasn’t as much about him missing eight of his nine shot attempts from the field. But Rozier struggled as a playmaker and defender for Boston as well.
Team Effort: The Celtics for far too many stretches on Saturday, looked as though they didn’t come ready to play. There was little to no fire, passion or multiple effort moments on the part of the Celtics who got off to a great start and just stopped playing hard and executing.
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