The Boston Celtics suffered their worst loss of the season Saturday night with a 126-116 defeat in Chicago to the Bulls. Chicago is one of the NBA's worst teams with a 16-44 record, and it also was playing in the second game of a back-to-back.
It didn't matter, however, as the Celtics were outscored 36-18 in the second quarter and allowed Bulls guard Zach LaVine and forward Lauri Markkanen to score a combined 77 (!) points overall.
Boston's defense struggled throughout the night, making it painstakingly obvious this team misses veteran center Aron Baynes, who's currently out of the lineup with a left foot contusion. He provides valuable defense (especially at the rim), leadership and a threat to shoot from the outside. He also is physically strong enough to defend the league's top centers, such as Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, 1-on-1 without constant double teams.
The difference in the Celtics' stats with and without Baynes are striking. Sean Grande of 98.5 The Sports Hub illustrated that point with a few interesting stats in the tweet below.
In addition to Baynes' current foot problem, he also suffered a broken bone in his left hand in December.
There is no set date for his return to game action, and the Celtics need him back as soon as possible. They are 4-4 since Baynes went out with his foot contusion, and Boston has several tough matchups coming up on its schedule over the next two weeks, including games against the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors.
Boston Celtics
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