NBA: Tatum stars as Celtics hold off Bulls

LOS ANGELES – Despite scoring a game-high 32 points on Monday night, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum believes that he did not have it easy and that the Chicago Bulls will always be a tough team to beat.

Playing at the Celtics’ TD Garden home, the forward helped his team to hold off the determined Bulls 107-99 and reach the midway point of their National Basketball Association (NBA) season with the best record in the league.

Grant Williams added 20 points, Jaylen Brown scored 19 and Al Horford’s eight included a crucial three-pointer with 25.5 seconds remaining in the game.

The Celtics pushed their record to 29-12 after their first 41 games of the 82-game campaign.

“That was big. Regardless of their record (19-22), it’s a really talented team. Any given night, they can beat anybody, they’re always going to play you tough,” Tatum said on ESPN of the Bulls.

“Well coached, they play hard, they’re long, athletic. So that’s a big win.”

Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla had special praise for Williams, who missed the first 29 games of the season as he recovered from knee surgery.

“He was great,” he said of the forward.

“I think he brought a level of joy to our team, just because of how unselfish he is and the type of plays he’s able to make on both ends of the floor.”

Boston, who were

stunned by the Oklahoma City Thunder

and had to

fight to hold off the rebuilding Spurs

on their recent road trip, again let a big lead slip but managed to hold on.

After Chicago star DeMar DeRozan departed with a thigh injury in the third quarter, the Celtics stretched their lead to as many as 16 thanks to a strong offensive showing from Tatum.

But the Bulls, with Zach LaVine scoring 15 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, sliced the deficit to two points in the closing minutes.

“The way he played gave us a chance to win and I thought our guys competed and battled,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said of LaVine.

“But I thought there were some things we needed to clean up, like the rebounding and some of the straight-line drives and some of the late rotations.”

Horford’s three-pointer, off a feed from Tatum, then pushed the lead back to five points with 25.5 seconds left and after LaVine missed a three-pointer, Tatum threw down a two-handed dunk, drawing a foul and making the free-throw as Boston clinched the win.

“It’s all about trusting your teammates,” Tatum added of the pass to Horford as he himself was double-teamed.

“Al made a big-time shot.”

DeRozan finished with 13 points when he left with a right quad strain. He initially stayed in after going down on an attempt to drive against Horford but was later ruled out.

Nikola Vucevic had a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds as Chicago’s three-game win streak was snapped. REUTERS