Words of inspiration left mark on Celtics

Boston looks to even first-round series with Chicago tonight

CHICAGO (AP) — 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 20point 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."

Thomas rejoined the team after spending time with his family in Tacoma,

Washington. He scored eight points in the third quarter, helping the Celtics regain control, and finished with nine assists in the game.

Crowder added 16 points. Avery Bradley scored 15 and hit four of Boston's 17 3- pointers.

"We weren't coming here hoping to get a win," Bradley said. "We knew we were coming here to win both games."

They won on the strength of 17 3s, balanced scoring — five players between 11 and 18 points — and a 34-14 edge in assists. Holding the Bulls to 39 percent shooting obviously didn't hurt. Chicago wasn't the same without injured G Rajon Rondo.

"When you tear an ACL, your leg gets stiff every once in a while," Rondo said. "I was stretching my leg out. I always do that throughout the game, I guess he was so deep in our bench, it looked like what may have happened, happened."

The Bulls were 6 of 21 on 3-pointers on Friday night but own a 170-136 edge on the glass in the series after outrebounding Boston 52-37.

Game 4 is Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. To date, all the Celtics have done is ensure the series goes back to their floor.

In other playoff action, LeBron James is one win from the second round and the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers might be on the cusp of getting several rest days. Meanwhile, Blake Griffin will miss the rest of the season in a major blow for a Clippers team that now faces playoff drama for the fifth consecutive year.

Those are among the NBA's headlines for Sunday, with Game 4s in four firstround series.

Cleveland can oust Indiana, Houston leads 2-1 over Oklahoma City, and the Clippers — 10-1 in their last 11 games at Utah — can take command of their series against the Jazz.

"Closeout games are always the most difficult games," James said Saturday.