Bulls Drop Their Fourth Straight Game at Celtics 124-105 Since Trade Deadline

The trades don't change anything. The Chicago Bulls are built to lose, and Wednesday night at TD Garden proved it emphatically.

Chicago fell to the Boston Celtics 124-105, their fourth consecutive loss since the trade deadline overhaul. The Celtics retained their firepower throughout the entire game,  wearing down the Bulls' limited offensive response and exposing Chicago's defensive fragility in a performance that felt more like a scrimmage than a competitive NBA game.

Among six Bulls players scoring double digits, Rob Dillingham led the way with 16 points and seven assists. Collin Sexton and Matas Buzelis posted 15 points apiece.

On the Celtics' side, Payton Pritchard (26) and Jaylen Brown (24) dominated the night with 50 points in total. Against former team, Nikola Vucevic posted a double-double 19 points and 11 rebounds, recording a game-high +26 in plus-minus.

The Bulls called their first timeout with two minutes elapsed after falling behind early. Brown and Sam Hauser retook the lead for Boston at 9-7. Sexton and Simons stepped up to close the gap before Patrick Williams, making his first start since the roster shakeup, knocked down a three-point jumper to give Chicago brief hope.

Sexton blasted a fadeaway three, and Buzelis followed with back-to-back triples to energize the visitors. But Brown calmly answered with two threes of his own. Sexton's mid-range jumper kept the Bulls on top 18-17 before another timeout, but that fleeting advantage wouldn't last.

Pritchard checked in and immediately drilled a long three to reclaim the lead for the Celtics. Jaden Ivey capitalized on a Boston turnover with a transition layup, later finding Williams open from deep. Then came the surreal moment: Vucevic, now wearing white and green, checked in and scored his first field goal against his former team via a signature spinning hook shot. He followed with an open jumper at the top of the key, helping establish a nine-point Celtics cushion.

Trailing 36-27 entering the second quarter, Chicago struggled to find any rhythm, remaining scoreless for the first two minutes until Sexton's driving layup broke the drought. But Boston had already established a double-digit lead, staying scorching hot from beyond the arc. The Celtics navigated various options from their deep arsenal, continuously stunning Chicago. The gap ballooned to 23 points.

Buzelis and Sexton combined for five points after a timeout, but the Celtics kept punishing the Bulls with elite spacing and quality three-point looks. Brown broke down Chicago's defensive lapses repeatedly with effortless layups. The Bulls' response felt painfully limited as Boston bombed their territory relentlessly. Chicago limped into halftime trailing 72-44 — a 28-point deficit that felt insurmountable.

The third quarter offered no reprieve. Chicago failed to generate any momentum while Boston maintained their dominance. Brown posted points through pure stardom while the Bulls struggled to respond against the Celtics' suffocating coverage.

A blowout became inevitable late in the third period as Chicago played without any discernible game plan. Vucevic opened the fourth with a scoring run for his new team, expanding the Bulls' deficit to 33 points—a cruel twist for Chicago fans watching their former franchise cornerstone thrive elsewhere.

The Bulls waved the white flag and sent their second unit midway through the fourth, emptying losing to Celtics 124-105, suffering their fourth straight defeat after the trade deadline.