Little-known players make impacts for the Celts, who improve to 54-25 and exceed last season’s win total.
BOSTON – There was a feel of October in the air at the TD Garden on Friday night when a late-season NBA game resembled a preseason matchup.
Little-known players like Jabari Bird and Jonathan Gibson made impacts for the shorthanded Celtics, and Greg Monroe became the team’s first center to record a triple-double since Robert Parish 31 years ago.
Things like that happen when a team like the Celtics is without so many key players and the lottery-bound Chicago Bulls are playing out the string.
The Celtics made the most of the situation, defeating the Bulls, 111-104, to improve to 54-25 and exceed last season’s win total.
Locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are getting themselves ready for the playoffs, knowing they won’t have Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis.
Coach Brad Stevens elected to rest Jayson Tatum (who missed his first game) and Al Horford against the Bulls, leaving the Celts even more shorthanded. Then, Marcus Morris was ejected from his second straight home game, getting tossed along with Bobby Portis with 1:44 remaining in the third quarter.
But the Celtics still had enough to get by the Bulls (27-52) thanks to Jaylen Brown, who scored a career-high 32 points, and Monroe, who finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Parish had the last triple-double by a Celtics center when he had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 29, 1987.
Bird, who has spent most of this season with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League, scored 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting after scoring only five points this entire year.
Gibson, signed to a contract this week after it was learned Irving will not return this season, hit three straight 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics win.
“You’re happy for them,’’ said coach Brad Stevens. “Jonathan Gibson was in Las Vegas yesterday and took the red-eye here. It’s fun to see him and Jabari Bird do what they did.’’
The Celtics used a 16-6 run in the fourth quarter to open a double digit lead after the game was even at 86. Gibson hit two of his 3-pointers in the run with Monroe adding two baskets.
The Celtics took a 79-76 lead into the fourth quarter, and Morris and Portis were kicked out after a skirmish late in the third quarter. Portis said something to Morris, who responded with a shove. When they continued talking after receiving technicals, they were ejected.
The Celtics were down, 58-55, at halftime after trailing by as many as 11 in the second quarter with Morris hitting a 22-footer at the buzzer.
Bird scored 10 of his points in the quarter, making all five of his shots in eight minutes, with Monroe setting up four of his baskets.
Brown had a 12-point first quarter for the Celtics, getting them all in the opening 4:58.