Pritchard’s Perfect Third Quarter Powers Celtics Past Bulls, 134-99

Payton Pritchard scored 28 points off the bench, including 19 in a third quarter in which he made all five of his 3-point attempts, as the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 134-99 on Monday night, Oct. 26, 2026, at TD Garden. Boston improved to 2-1 and hosts the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night, Oct. 27.

Celtics vs. Bulls: the third quarter that broke it open

Boston never trailed. The Celtics led by 12 at halftime, then outscored Chicago 39-21 in the third quarter to lead by 30 after three, according to the NBA.com game summary. The team’s official recap on Celtics.com said Boston turned a 66-59 lead into a 104-73 advantage by the end of the quarter, and outscored Chicago 36-11 over the final 7:31 of the period while Jayson Tatum sat on the bench.

Pritchard, Paul George and Sam Hauser combined for 35 points in the third quarter. George, Pritchard and Hauser each made a 3-pointer during a 93-second stretch that pushed the lead to 89-70, and Pritchard then hit back-to-back 3s to make it 101-73, according to the Associated Press recap posted by NBA.com. Boston made 8 of 13 3-pointers in the quarter. The lead reached 40 in the fourth quarter.

Payton Pritchard by the numbers

Pritchard finished 10-of-16 from the field and 7-of-10 from 3-point range in 21 minutes, with four assists and a plus-22 rating, according to Celtics.com. His 19-point quarter tied his career high for a single period, a mark he has now reached four times. Celtics.com reported he became the eighth player in franchise history to make at least five 3-pointers in a quarter without a miss.

“I don’t really consider any of his shots heat checks, because that’s who he is and that’s when he’s at his best,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said, according to Celtics.com.

Tatum added 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists, with 19 of his points coming in the first half, including a buzzer-beating drive at the end of the first quarter and a long 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in the second. George scored 16 points. Jordan Walsh and Derrick White had three steals each.

Key team stats

• Boston shot 21-of-44 (47.7%) from 3-point range; Chicago went 12-of-44.
• The Celtics’ bench outscored the Bulls’ bench 79-33.
• Boston won the rebounding battle 54-40, with 19 offensive rebounds.
• Both teams committed 25 turnovers and drew 28 fouls.

Norman Powell led Chicago (1-3) with 20 points. The Bulls entered the night with the NBA’s worst 3-point percentage, 22.6%, according to the AP, and missed 15 of their first 19 attempts from deep.

Context: Tatum, Brown and an early-season schedule quirk

The win followed Boston’s home-opening victory over the New York Knicks on Friday, when Tatum scored 36 points. The AP noted that after that game, Tatum played down questions about any tension with former teammate Jaylen Brown, who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason. The Boston Report covered the start of the season in its Celtics season-opener preview.

The Celtics and Bulls will see each other again quickly. In what the AP called a scheduling quirk, the teams meet in Boston again on Friday, Oct. 30. Chicago hosts the Knicks on Wednesday.

Next: Celtics vs. Nets at TD Garden

Boston plays the second game of a back-to-back on Tuesday, Oct. 27, against the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden. Game times, TV information and tickets are posted on the Celtics’ official schedule. Follow all of our coverage on The Boston Report’s Celtics page and Boston sports hub.

Sources

• Celtics.com: Keys to the Game, Celtics 134, Bulls 99
• NBA.com: Bulls vs. Celtics game summary and AP recap, Oct. 26, 2026
• Boston Celtics official schedule

Additional sources

• ESPN: Celtics 134, Bulls 99 line score and records