Chicago Bulls forward Paul Zipser, of Germany (16), left, and Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk, center, vie for control of the ball in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 12, 2017, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Chicago Bulls forward Paul Zipser, of Germany (16), left, and Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk, center, vie for control of the ball in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 12, 2017, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Credit: Steven Senne

Boston — Isaiah Thomas was having a good time on the bench while his teammates were closing out easy win over the Chicago Bulls.

Thomas scored 22 points and later joined fans doing the wave as it circled TD Garden, leading the Boston Celtics to a 100-80 romp and sending the Bulls to their season-high fifth straight loss.

“That was fun. They just did it a little too long,” Thomas said, breaking into a smile. “It’s always nice when you’ve got a comfortable win and the fans get into it.”

Thomas, the team’s leading scorer at 29.2 points per game, played only 24 minutes and sat the entire final quarter. He had some fun in the final minutes of the blowout, taking part with teammate Jae Crowder in the crowd’s cheer.

There were plenty of smiles to go around Boston’s bench after they led the entire way. Avery Bradley didn’t quite know if the Celtics were playing that good or Chicago was as poor as it looked.

“I asked our team that when I came out of the game,” said Bradley, who scored 17 points. “I was like, ‘Are we playing defense that good?’ ”

The Celtics rushed to a 13-0 lead, shutting out Chicago until Dwyane Wade’s jumper nearly six minutes into the game.

Marcus Smart and Al Horford both added 12 points, and no Boston starter played more than 32 minutes.

Robin Lopez and Denzel Valentine paced the Bulls with 13 points apiece. Wade scored only eight points and Jimmy Butler had five.

Coming off a 2-3 road trip, the Celtics never trailed. After missing their first 12 shots and starting 1 for 19, the Bulls finished with a season-low points in the first quarter and trailed 22-9.

Nets 120, Knicks 112

New York — Jeremy Lin ended an 0-for-9 start with a 3-pointer that halted a Knicks comeback, and Brooklyn beat New York for its first home victory of 2017.

The Nets ended a 16-game losing streak at Barclays Center. They hadn’t won here since Dec. 26, when Lin strained his hamstring in a victory over Charlotte.

Brook Lopez had 25 points for the Nets. Carmelo Anthony had 27 for the Knicks.

Pacers 102, Heat 98

Indianapolis — Paul George had 28 points and 10 rebounds in Indiana’s victory over Miami.

Myles Turner added 15 points for Indiana, and Jeff Teague had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Hassan Whiteside led the Heat with 26 points and 21 rebounds.