Boston
Amir Johnson also finished 23 points, including four 3-pointers, to help the Celtics avenge their lone loss of the season.
Boston played without center Al Horford, who was placed in the concussion protocol Tuesday after exhibiting concussive symptoms during practice.
Johnson helped pick up the slack without him, scoring 16 points in the third quarter. The Bulls managed just 18 points in the period, their lowest scoring quarter of the season.
The Bulls cut into what had been a 16-point Boston lead in the fourth quarter and tied it at 100 on two free throws by Nikola Mirotic. But Boston regained the lead 101-100, then went up five on a driving layup by Thomas and basket by Marcus Smart.
Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 23 points and nine rebounds.
Before Wednesday, Johnson had never made more than two 3-pointers in a game and had never attempted more than four. He entered the night 0 for 1 on the season.
Boston led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but took only a two-point lead into halftime.
After a slow start, Jae Crowder scored eight straight points during a 21-4 Boston run. The Bulls stayed in it via a few mini spurts, including an 8-0 run by Butler.
New York
Brooklyn hit 16 of its 20 shots in the first quarter to take a 38-30 advantage. The Nets had more turnovers (5) than misses. Brooklyn’s first miss came at the 6:03 mark in the first when Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was off on a 3-pointer. Lopez had 14 in the first quarter and 24 by the end of the first half to lead the Nets as Brooklyn took a 71-55 lead to the locker room.
Atlanta
D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers with 23 points.
Williams, the Atlanta native who played for the Hawks from 2012-14, had a quiet game before his big final quarter.
New York
The NBA’s leader coming into the day with 11.8 assists per game toyed with the Knicks defense, setting up teammates for lobs or open 3-pointers as the Rockets easily bounced back from a loss in Cleveland a night earlier.
Washington
DeRozan was 14 of 23 from the floor despite leaving the game briefly to get his ankles taped. Raptors backcourt made Kyle Lowry needed three stitches to close a cut below his right eye but still scored 18 points.
Charlotte, n.c.
Led by Batum, the Hornets opened the second half on a 16-2 run to erase a seven-point halftime deficit and gain control.
