Celtics Get the Bulls Again Four Nights After a 35-Point Win, on the Night They Celebrate a $200 Million Gift

The Celtics see the Chicago Bulls for the second time in five days tonight at TD Garden, 7:30 p.m. tip, according to ESPN's schedule. The last one wasn't close: Boston won 134-99 on Monday, with Payton Pritchard scoring 28, per ESPN. So yeah, the Bulls have had four days to think about that.

Boston comes in 3-1 and 3-0 at home. After losing 121-113 at Detroit, the Celtics have won three straight: 107-103 over the Knicks, the 134-99 win over Chicago, and a 125-124 overtime escape against Brooklyn on Tuesday in which Jayson Tatum scored 40, per ESPN's results. Chicago is 1-4 and 0-2 on the road, and is coming off a 133-127 home loss to the Knicks on Wednesday. Norman Powell had 30 in that one.

How lopsided was Monday? The AP recap says Pritchard made all five of his 3-point attempts in the third quarter and scored 19 in that quarter alone, as Boston outscored Chicago 39-21. The Celtics never trailed, led by 30 after three, and the biggest lead hit 40, per ESPN's box. Boston shot 21-for-44 from three; Chicago, which AP says came in with the league's worst 3-point percentage at 22.6 percent, went 12-for-44. Tatum had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Paul George added 16. AP called the back-to-back Boston dates "a scheduling quirk."

That's also a reminder of how different this roster looks. George is a Celtic now, and AP noted that Jaylen Brown was traded to Philadelphia in the offseason, with Tatum trying to play down any beef with his former teammate after the home opener against the defending champion Knicks, a game in which Tatum scored 36.

Tatum is the whole stat sheet right now. ESPN's game page lists him as Boston's leader in points (28.0 a game), assists (8.0) and rebounds (6.2). For Chicago, Powell leads at 21.6 points, Josh Giddey at 8.0 assists, and Jalen Smith at 8.2 rebounds.

The injury report, per ESPN: Boston's Devin Carter is out with an illness. Chicago lists Patrick Williams (groin) and Nic Claxton (hamstring) as out, with Jalen Smith (finger) and Tobe Awaka (ankle) day-to-day. If Smith sits, the Bulls' top rebounder is off the floor against a team that just put up 134 on them.

Now, the bigger story tonight isn't the basketball. On Thursday, the Celtics' ownership group, the team and its Shamrock Foundation announced a $200 million donation to Boston Children's Hospital. WBUR reports it's the largest gift in the hospital's history and among the biggest to any hospital in the city. The Celtics said they'll celebrate the hospital tonight with in-game moments recognizing current and former patients, families, staff and others connected to it, NBC Boston reported.

Where the money goes, per the hospital: a new pediatric mental health facility for kids in crisis, which WBUR says is under construction in Brighton; research into therapies for childhood diseases; advanced training for pediatric nurses; an innovation fund for what officials called "daring" research ideas; and family programs that promote healthy lifestyles.

"While the size of this gift is unprecedented for Boston Children's Hospital, its significance will ultimately be measured not by the record it sets, but by the lives it will save," Boston Children's CEO Dr. Kevin Churchwell said in the announcement carried by NBC Boston. Dr. Ryan Nagy, the hospital's president and chief operations officer, told WBUR the gift is especially important given the volatility of federal health and research funding under the Trump administration. "This is very timely, and we're very grateful," he said.

Celtics chairman and governor Bill Chisholm said "true legacy is more than what happens on the court" and called it "our commitment to the next generation in Boston and far beyond." Co-owner Rob Hale said he'd seen the hospital's work firsthand. Chisholm's group bought the team in 2025 in a deal valued at more than $6.1 billion, WBUR noted.

Dez's take: a team that sold for $6.1 billion giving $200 million to the kids' hospital down the road is the kind of rich-people move I'll actually clap for. Putting the first dollars into a mental health facility for kids in crisis is a choice I respect, because that's not the flashy naming-rights stuff. On the floor, I want to see whether the Celtics play like it's a celebration or like it's a game. Chicago got embarrassed Monday. A team that's 1-4 with two guys out tends to either fold or come out swinging. And Boston needed overtime against Brooklyn the very next night after that blowout, so don't assume the 35-point spread carries over.

Watch list: Tatum's usage, Pritchard off the bench after a 28-point night against these same Bulls, and whether Chicago's Smith plays.

Not yet known: the result. Tip is 7:30 at the Garden.