Tatum scores a season-high 43 to go with 16 rebounds, 10 assist in Celtics 123-98 win over Bulls

CHICAGO (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 43 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists for his third career triple-double and the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 123-98 on Saturday night.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 to help the Celtics rebound from a 117-108 loss to the Bulls in Boston on Thursday night.

Tatum, the five-time All-Star, scored 18 points in the third quarter as Boston used a 19-8 run to open a 93-77 lead heading into the fourth.

Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and 10 assists to lead the Bulls, whose season-high three-game winning streak ended. Zach LaVine, Coby White and Patrick Williams had 14 points each.

Referee Aaron Smith left the game in the second half with a hip injury.

Celtics: After a sluggish start, Tatum heated up in the second quarter to reach 16 points and nine assists at the half. Brown helped keep Boston close early, scoring 15 in the first half.

Bulls: Shot only 37.9%, missing on airballs and even missed dunks. Guard Josh Giddey missed his second game (ankle) and will have to go through some “protocols” before returning, coach Billy Donovan said.

The game was tied at 42 midway through the second quarter, then the Celtics and Tatum found offensive traction. Boston had a 61-54 lead at the half using an 8-0 run to open a 12-point lead at one point. Tatum and the Celtics got hot again and took charge in the third after the Bulls had closed to within five points.

Boston entered leading the NBA with 51.3 3-point attempts per game, but won this one with 62 points in the paint. The Celtics dominated with 58 rebounds and 25 second-chance points.

The Celtics play at Orlando on Monday night and the the Bulls host Milwaukee.

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Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket between Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucevic (9) and Zach LaVine during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chicago Bulls' Coby White (0) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Boston Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis (8) tugs on the jersey of Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucevic as Vucevic drives to the basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chicago Bulls' Patrick Williams (44) strips the ball from Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum as Nikola Vucevic, left, and Kristaps Porzingis watch during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum blows a kiss skyward after scoring a 3-point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum shoots as Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Both pilots were recovered alive, with one suffering minor injuries, but the incident underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become over the ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite U.S. and European military coalitions patrolling the area.

The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, though the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Mideast, but hadn't specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.

“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.

It wasn't immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication. However, Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels.

Since the Truman's arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw last year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II.

The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023 after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage.

Israel’s grinding offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. The tally doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) steams in the Mediterranean Sea, Dec. 15, 2025. (Kaitlin Young/U.S. Navy via AP)

FILE - Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is moored near Split, Croatia, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

FILE - A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)