Celtics beat Bulls to get back in series

Road team has prevailed in every game after 104-87 Boston win

CHICAGO — The Boston Celtics got pep talks from a past champion as well as their current superstar. Then they put a charge in a series that was slipping from their reach.

Al Horford had 18 points and eight rebounds, Isaiah Thomas scored 16 points, and the top-seeded Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 104-87 on Friday night after dropping the first two games of their opening-round series at home.

The Celtics pulled away after a 20-point lead shrunk to one early in the third quarter and put themselves in position to tie the series just as it was getting away from them. Game 4 is Sunday in Chicago.

They got a recorded message from Kevin Garnett before the game. Thomas, still grieving the death of his sister, had a few things to say, too.

“To me personally, it was everything,” Jae Crowder said. “It was just a little motivation speech. (Garnett) said we looked like a team that wasn’t having fun. We looked like a team that (wasn’t) soaking in the moment. We just needed to play for one another, and play for the moment which is at hand being in the playoffs and have fun with it. He basically said put a little more KG into it.”

Dwyane Wade scored 18 for Chicago. Jimmy Butler had 14 points on 7-of-21 shooting and the offence simply didn’t click the way it had been with Rajon Rondo out indefinitely with a broken right thumb.

THUNDER 115, ROCKETS 113

OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook scored 32 points in a triple-double, and the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Houston Rockets 115-113 on Friday night to cut their deficit to 2-1 in the first-round Western Conference playoff series.

James Harden scored 44 points for Houston, but he missed a 3-pointer that could have won the game just before time expired.

Westbrook also had 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Taj Gibson added 20 points and Andre Roberson and Victor Oladipo each scored 12 for the Thunder, who shot 55 per cent from the field.