Celtics Beat Bulls 125–111 in NBA Cup Opener: Final Score and Highlights

Final result | Updated October 31, 2026: The Boston Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls 125–111 at TD Garden in Boston on Friday, October 30, in the opening Emirates NBA Cup East Group C game for both teams. This is a completed-game update, not a live preview: the Celtics' NBA schedule records the win, and CBS Sports' game tracker explicitly marks the score final at the end of the fourth quarter. Payton Pritchard led Boston with 30 points, with Jayson Tatum adding 26.

Celtics vs. Bulls: final score and game details

These are the scheduled start times, not the clock time at which the game ended. Both Boston and Chicago were on daylight saving time on October 30; the change to standard time in these cities occurred on November 1, 2026. Applying November's EST or CST offsets to the October 30 tipoff would introduce a one-hour error. The verified start corresponds to 23:30 UTC on October 30, even though the result was reported later.

How Boston built its NBA Cup victory

The Celtics seized control early, outscoring the Bulls 44–25 in the first quarter. They followed with a 34–24 second period to take a 78–49 lead at halftime. That 29-point cushion changed the balance of the game: Chicago needed a major second-half rally, while Boston could concentrate on managing its advantage. The Bulls scored more points than Boston after halftime, but the deficit was too large to erase.

The final period was Chicago's strongest, with the Bulls taking the fourth quarter 37–26. That late improvement should not be confused with the game being tied or Boston surrendering its lead. CBS Sports' recap says Boston's advantage had reached 32 points late in the first half and that Chicago narrowed the score after the Celtics' starters had been removed. The final margin was 14 points, compared with Boston's much larger halftime edge.

Pritchard, Tatum and George lead Boston's scoring

Payton Pritchard scored 30 points for the Celtics, including 20 before halftime, according to the Associated Press game recap carried by CBS Sports. His shooting line was 9-for-17 from the field. Pritchard's production helped turn Boston's quick start into a substantial advantage rather than merely a narrow first-quarter lead.

Jayson Tatum added 26 points in 34 minutes, while Paul George contributed 18 points and eight assists. Their contributions illustrate why focusing on just one scorer would miss the bigger picture of Boston's offense. The Celtics had multiple sources of scoring and ball movement, and the team finished with 28 assists, compared with Chicago's 24, according to CBS Sports' final team statistics.

Boston shot 42-for-82 from the field, or 51.2%, while Chicago made 35 of 92 attempts, or 38.0%. Boston also scored 56 points in the paint. The figures point to a meaningful difference in overall shot conversion, even though the Bulls attempted more three-pointers. They describe what happened in this game; they do not establish that every future meeting will follow the same pattern.

What the Bulls showed despite the loss

Rookie Caleb Wilson led Chicago with 23 points. Norman Powell scored 16, and Matas Buzelis contributed 14. Wilson's scoring was an encouraging individual contribution in a game Chicago otherwise struggled to control, but it did not offset Boston's first-half execution.

The Bulls went 15-for-50 from three-point range, a 30.0% conversion rate, and committed 16 turnovers. According to the CBS Sports recap, those turnovers led to 21 Celtics points. Chicago's fourth-quarter scoring demonstrated that the offense could produce stretches of better output, yet evaluating the overall contest requires including the early deficit and shooting inefficiency. A strong final quarter did not change the recorded loss.

Chicago also came into this matchup having lost to Boston 134–99 on October 26, just four days earlier. The Celtics therefore won the teams' two late-October meetings, although this NBA Cup opener was closer by the final margin. The October 26 game was a regular-season meeting; the October 30 game additionally counted toward the NBA Cup group standings.

What the result means for NBA Cup East Group C

Boston begins its four-game Cup group schedule with a 1–0 record, while Chicago starts 0–1. The other teams in East Group C are the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards, as outlined in the NBA's group preview. Every team faces each of its four group opponents once, and Cup group games also count toward the regular-season record.

This opening victory helps the Celtics, but it does not by itself clinch a knockout berth. Under the NBA Cup format and tiebreaking rules, group winners advance, along with one wild-card team from each conference. Group record is central to that process, and subsequent tiebreakers can include head-to-head results, point differential and total points scored in group play. Boston's 14-point victory margin is therefore relevant to the Cup picture, but its ultimate significance depends on the remaining group results.

Chicago has time to respond in its other group games. One loss is a disadvantage, not automatic elimination. Likewise, it would be premature to declare Boston the East Group C winner on the basis of a single game. Readers tracking the race should use the NBA's current standings and Cup pages rather than treating October 30's snapshot as the final group table.

How to check the full box score or watch a replay

For confirmed individual minutes, starters, shooting lines and the full play-by-play, use the NBA's game box score. The league's official record is more appropriate for postgame participation than a pre-tipoff injury projection. Pregame injury designations reflected uncertainty before the contest; they should not be recycled as claims about who actually played.

NBA League Pass may offer the game on demand, but access and delay depend on location and rights. Under the NBA League Pass blackout guide, U.S. local-team blackouts and nationally televised game restrictions can affect when a replay appears. Viewers in the Boston or Chicago market should check their eligible service rather than assuming an unrestricted live or immediate replay is included. International viewers should confirm availability in their own country.

Bottom line

The Celtics' 125–111 win over the Bulls on October 30, 2026, is now a verified final NBA Cup East Group C result. A 44-point first quarter, Pritchard's 30-point performance and contributions from Tatum and George put Boston in command before the break. Chicago's better fourth quarter reduced the margin but did not reverse the outcome. The next useful updates concern the teams' remaining Cup group games and verified standings—not a prediction of how this already completed opener might end. For the permanent result, consult the NBA game center or CBS Sports' final box score.