The Chicago Bulls battled just about the whole night, but could not get past just a more highly talented Boston Celtics team, as they fell to the Celtics 119-103.

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said postgame that, “They’re all going to learn how to win. I wish I could just snap my finger or pour something on it to make it just happen. But it doesn’t work that way. Before you win, there’s generally going to be a lot of suffering.”

Suffering is right, as the Bulls just could not contain Celtics rising stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as the two combined for 50 of the Celtics 119 points. The Bulls once again had little to no defensive effort, as the Celtics shot it 51.7 percent from three and over 50 percent from the field overall.

Bulls starting center Wendell Carter Jr. missed his third straight game, and his backup, Daniel Gafford, only played 11 minutes. Carter Jr. was diagnosed with a right quadricep contusion, and he will be out at least another four weeks.

Even without their main rim protector, the Bulls still outscored the Celtics in the paint 48 to 44. But, after missing five games due to COVID, Jayson Tatum was just too much for the Bulls to handle as he did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.

Before the lead was insurmountable, Tatum had 8 points in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, which really put the game on ice. Tatum said after the game that he felt tired in the first half, but after the halftime break, felt more energized in the second.

Even without Celtics starting point guard Kemble Walker being out, the Bulls backcourt still seemed outmatched all night long, with the Celtics guards penetrating and kicking the ball out for wide open looks.

If Chicago wants to take their game to the next level and eventually make a run at the playoffs, their dribble drive defense as well as their help defense needs to make a major improvement as the season goes on because currently it is far from where it needs to be.

All and all, this Bulls team offensively has what it takes to win night in and night out, but defensively, this team needs to make strides in that portion of the game as they have not held a team under 100 points so far this season. This young Bulls team is improving under Billy Donovan, but it needs better effort on both sides of the ball every single night.