Fred Hoiberg storms out of press conference after Bulls loss

Thomas was able to heat up in the second half and ended up finishing with a team-high-tying 24 points during Boston’s 108-97 win, but he will look to start off better tonight and shake off the 1-for-10 3-point effort he had during Game 5.

At the end of the night both the Celtics and Wizards would go ahead and take 3-2 series leads.

Horford had 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Boston, which entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the East. Some games – see Thomas’ 42-point performance against the Hawks in Game 3 a year ago – he can shoulder the entire load.

Bradley carried the load to the fourth, when Thomas and Horford had 11 each in the quarter to put the game on ice. As a result, the Bulls and Celtics found themselves in a very tight matchup through the first three quarters.

Rajon Rondo suited up for the pre-game shoot-around but with a fractured thumb still bothering him immensely he sat on the bench wearing a suit when Game 5 tipped off.

For the Bulls to have any chance in Game 6 to avoid elimination, they need Butler healthy as he can be and ready to go.

Well, duh. That’s a lot easier said than done, as Jimmy Butler is one of the best players in the National Basketball Association and exceptional on both ends of the court. If we would have talked mid-season that they would be hanging in there with a one seed in the playoffs I would have said you are insane. Now, they’ll be looking for another strong start like Game 3, when the Hawks raced to a 25-point lead in the first quarter.

“Nothing’s changed as of now”, Hoiberg said during a conference call. “They got some things on us that we didn’t want to give up late in the fourth”.

The Boston Celtics are on the road tonight in NBA Playoff action, taking on the Chicago Bulls. This was the one they could steal, but even on a night where the Celtics shot 9-of-40, the Bulls found a way to lose the game.

We’ll have up-to-the-minute scoring and stats here throughout the game. Ever since Gerald Green made his way into the starting lineup, the Celtics are 3-0 in the series against the Bulls. Boston has since won three straight games and has Chicago on the ropes in Game 6. “I knew my team needed me to do that, and just trying to pick my spots on both ends of the floor, trying to stay out of foul trouble, trying to eliminate letting Jimmy Butler get to the free throw line”.