Celtics Faced Old Friend Daniel Theis For First Time
BOSTON (CBS) -- With the Chicago Bulls in town, the Celtics got a visit from one of their former teammates on Monday night. For the first time in his NBA career, Daniel Theis was on the opposite side of the Celtics at the TD Garden.
Theis, sent to Chicago ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline in a salary dump, got the start for Chicago and played 29 minutes against the Celtics in Monday's 102-96 Bulls victory. He did what Daniel Theis normally does, playing some solid two-way basketball while chipping in with six points, six rebounds and four assists in the win.
Fittingly, Theis was whistled for an offensive foul while trying to seal off a screen on offense late in the first half. So it appears the "War on Theis" has followed the big man to Chicago.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said that Boston struggled to do anything at the rim because of Chicago's double-big lineup, made up of Theis and Nikola Vucevic.
"We didn't have much threat at the rim tonight. I thought we tried to get there but it was jammed up," Stevens said after the loss. "They deserve a lot of credit, they impacted us on our drives big time."
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, held to just 14 points and 3-for-17 shooting, said it was strange to see Theis in a different uniform.
"Sad to see him on the other side, but I'm always happy for him," Tatum said after notching a triple-double in the loss. "I've got nothing but love for that guy."
In his nearly four seasons in Boston, Theis averaged 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds over 236 games -- including 106 starts. He's averaged 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his 12 games with Chicago, making three starts.
