No opening blues for Bulls

Dwyane Wade celebrated his late homecoming to Chicago Bulls with a 105-99 win over Boston Celtics in the NBA here on Thursday. The three-time champion with Miami Heat marked his return to his roots by opening the scoring and his superb three-pointer with 26.3 seconds remaining on the clock sealed the result. Wade had 22 points in the end while Jimmy Butler led the scoring for the Bulls with 24. Isaiah Thomas starred for the Celtics with 25.

Although the quality of the match was poor with both teams competing with each other in giving turnovers, the Bulls fans had a lot to cheer about as Wade came up with crucial baskets. Butler, a two-time All Star player, had his moments, too. Point guard Rajon Rondo didn’t enjoy a great day in his first Bulls match as his passing lacked sharpness. Chicago have a lot of work to do reach the play-offs this season. Their close-range shooting left a lot to be desired.

The home team were cruising with a 15-point lead in the first quarter but the Celtics caught up with them towards the end of the third. Just when the visitors threatened to crash the Bulls’ season opener, Butler and Wade put their hands up to rescue them.

The former was outstanding from the foul line in the second half. Michael Carter-Williams, who was in for Rondo in the third quarter, did chip in with a couple of crucial baskets to see the Bulls through.

Thomas was a joy to watch as the little fellow regularly scythed through the Bulls defence with his nifty movement. Had he got a little more help from his team-mates, the result would have been different. Al Horford, who was brilliant in Boston’s 122-117 win over Brooklyn Nets in their first match, was subdued against on Thursday.

Results Boston Celtics 99 lost to Chicago Bulls 105 (HT: 29-27); Washington Wizards 99 lost to Atlanta Hawks 114 (HT: 29-28); San Antonio Spurts 102 bt Sacramento Kings 94 (HT: 26-28); LA Clippers 114 bt Portland Trailblazers 106 (30-22)