6 observations from the Bulls loss to Boston in return from NBA All-Star Break

CHICAGO, Ill. - Welcome back from the All-Star Break, Bulls. Boston is waiting for you at the United Center.

The Celtics shot the Chicago Bulls into submission Thursday evening, winning 129-112 at the UC.

Here are six observations from the loss.

1. The post-all-star break blues hit hard

It wasn’t pretty early on.

The Bulls trailed by as many as 28-13 in the first half and struggled to get into a rhythm. 

The Celtics blocked six shots in the first quarter, and the Bulls had three turnovers in the first five minutes of the game while the Celtics knocked down three 3-pointers.

The Bulls closed the gap to 31-23 at the end of the first, but the Celtics were in full control then and seized more control in the third and fourth quarters. 

2. The second quarter showed the Bulls' mettle

The Bulls’ 39-point second quarter was fun to say the least.

Whatever the Celtics threw at the Bulls, the Bulls were able to counter. The two tossed punches back and forth. The Bulls tossed the last shot before the buzzer.

As the shot clock and game clock ran out in the first half, Alex Caruso tapped a pass to Coby White who hit a go-ahead three. That gave the Bulls the lead.

The crowd reacted in kind.

Going blow for blow with the Celtics isn’t easy, but seeing White, DeMar DeRozan, Nikolas Vucevic and Ayo Dosunmu be the featured fighters in that run was good to note.

3. Vucecvic’s big first half busts the Bulls’ blues

Whereas most of the Bulls struggled in the first quarter. 

Vucecvic had 20 points and nine rebounds in the first half. He paced the Bulls when the Bulls desperately needed someone to just keep from being blown out.

Vucecvic was limited majorly in the second half on offense, but he still added five more rebounds and recorded a double-double.

4. That second quarter seemed close to the ‘competitive’ Artūras Karnišovas wants

During a Feb. 8 press conference with Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas mentioned, the word "competitive" over 20 times.

That second quarter fit that bill.

The Bulls found a groove and matched the best team in the league. But, that was just the second quarter. Chicago needs three to four quarters of that in order to win.

That magic faded in the third quarter when Boston just came out swinging. 

There are 25 games left for this core to prove it can be the kind of competitive Karnišovas wants.

5. 3-point shooting was the difference on both ends

In the second half, Boston came out with a purpose. That was at the 3-point line.

The Celtics made 20 3-pointers going into the fourth, and made 23 3-pointers for the game.

"You get into trouble with them is when you spread out your defense," Donovan said.

Boston took 47 3-pointers on the night.

"They’re just rising up and shooting," Donovan said.

Boston’s defense stepped it up, too. After allowing Vucevic to drop 20 in the first half, he sank his first basket of the second half with 6:34 left in the fourth quarter. The Celtics made a concerted effort to limit him.

Still, the 3-point shooting is a stark reminder of what the Bulls don’t have. Chicago made 10 3-pointers.

Having not made a move at the trade deadline, the Bulls were putting the onus on its current core, without Zach LaVine for the rest of the season, to improve on both ends of the floor.

Without an addition that can improve the Bulls’ shooting, that could prove difficult. Thursday was an example of how.

6. The Celtics were a test. That wasn’t lost on Billy Donovan.

Boston begins the second half of its season as the best team in the East, and the best team in the NBA.

Playing them was a test. The Bulls came up short. 

"There’s teams that have championship aspirations," Donovan said. "Clearly they’re one of them."

Aside from the stellar second quarter, the Celtics handled the Bulls. Offensively, Boston was able to push behind White and Brown, but Donovan mentioned it was only time before Tatum took off himself.

Donovan said after the game he told the team defensive stops lead to offense on the other end. The Bulls couldn't consistently do that in the second half.

"We didn’t match that intensity, so to speak," Donovan said.

This banged up Bulls team does not have the kind of firepower to match. But, upcoming games against New Orleans and Detroit might be more conducive in terms of earning wins that could help the Bulls find that intensity.