Celtics roll to much-needed Game 3 win over Bulls in Chicago

CHICAGO — Isaiah Thomas, back after spending time with his family following the death of his sister, had 16 points and nine assists Friday night and the Boston Celtics got back into their first-round series against the Chicago Bulls with a 104-87 victory.

The eighth-seeded Bulls still lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 on Sunday. But Boston seems to have weathered the shock that came with the death of Thomas’ sister, while the Bulls will have to find a way to make do without the injured Rajon Rondo.

Thomas’ younger sister, Chyna, was killed Saturday in a car crash, and her death devastated not just Thomas but the entire Celtics team. Though Thomas played in the first two games of the series, he and the Celtics looked like a shell of the team that finished the regular season as the best team in the Eastern Conference.

But Thomas went to Seattle after Game 2, a break coach Brad Stevens said before the game had helped.

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“I think he’s feeling better,” Stevens said. “It’s been a really hard week. He’s going to have his ups and downs. I think going to Seattle was a good thing. It was hard, but seeing his dad and being around his family and that support network was important.”

Thomas didn’t have a great night shooting, going seven of 18 from the floor. But he was pivotal during a three-basket sequence that turned the game – and maybe the series. With a 20-point, first-half lead all but erased, Thomas fed Al Horford for an alley-oop.

Thomas then made back-to-back 3s, stretching Boston’s lead back to 52-43. His layup with 6:15 left in the third sparked an 11-4 run that put the Celtics up 69-54 and the Bulls never got within double figures again.

Dwyane Wade had 18 points to lead the Bulls, who shot just 39% for the night. Jimmy Butler had 14, but didn’t make his second basket until 1:36 left in the third quarter.

Follow Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour

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