3 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls' unsuccessful comeback against Boston Celtics

The Chicago Bulls gave it all they had despite playing without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan in the second half after he suffered a strained right quadriceps. On top of this, the Boston Celtics showed enough crunchtime skills to pull off the 107-99 victory and hand the Bulls their 22nd loss of the season.

Here are the three takeaways from the Bulls' unsuccessful comeback attempt against one of the Eastern Conference's elite teams:

DeMar sidelined with in-game injury

Let's start with the biggest story - DeRozan's injury. It was clear that the Bulls missed his leadership and ability to carry the offense when he went down with a right quad strain early in the third quarter as he tried to drive past Al Horford. He played 23 minutes and had 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal.

DeMar DeRozan went to the locker room and will not return after this play. He suffered a right quad strain #CHIvsBOS pic.twitter.com/ta002zi6zt
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 10, 2023

DeMar DeRozan has been an iron man during his Bulls' stint, playing in 136 out of possible 142 games, and it remains to be seen if the injury will force him to miss any further games. The Bulls are going to need their star guard to stay healthy if they want to make a push for the playoffs.

LaVine steps up

Having a "Big Three" means that when one of them goes down, another one can step up. That's exactly what Zach LaVine did in the fourth quarter, where he scored 15 of his 27 points, including several three-pointers that helped bring back the score to within two, 97-99.

Zach LaVine brings the Bulls to within 5 👀 pic.twitter.com/MijCVjCr9O
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) January 10, 2023

Big man Nikola Vucevic also heated up in the fourth, scoring seven of his 21 points during the final quarter. He also pulled down 13 rebounds.

Caruso returns from a two-game absence

Sidelined with a sprained ankle, Alex Caruso returned in timely fashion, contributing six points, two rebounds, four assists, and a block in 20 minutes of playing time. While it remains unclear whether DeRozan's injury will cause him to miss any more games, it's a relief for the Bulls to have Caruso back.

Coby ➡️ AC ➡️ SPLASH@CobyWhite | @NBCSBulls pic.twitter.com/TS5pNZ1Ads
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 10, 2023

Monday's loss put the Bulls at 2-2 in the season series against the Celtics. They'll now travel to Washington to face the Wizards on Wednesday.