Celtics vs. Bulls final score: Boston hangs on to beat Chicago, 101-95

Rajon Rondo had 20 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and five steals as the Boston Celtics pushed past the Chicago Bulls, 101-95, in the United Center Monday night from Chicago IL.

Boston used a collective team effort on a night when they were desperate for a statement win.

Just a few days after coming alive to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in a thrilling fourth quarter, the Celtics have won two straight and now sit one game above .500.

Everything was good for the Celtics until the Bulls went on a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull the game within three. Rookie Marquis Teague sparked the run, but Boston's Jason Terry pocketed a quick two-point shot to kill the drought at the 4:54 mark and Boston was back in business.

Chicago would never take the lead, but Boston teetered between giving the lead away and coasting through the rest of the night for the victory.

At least for the time being, head coach Doc Rivers seems to have found a solid starting rotation, with Jason Terry at the shooting guard position and Brandon Bass at power forward. The duo combined for 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while Courtney Lee and Jared Sullinger thrived from the bench.

As a team, Boston's interior defense stepped their game up, allowing only 38 points in the paint for the game.

Despite the big win, the most disturbing stat of the night came when comparing Luol Deng and Paul Pierce's respective nights.

Deng controlled the pace of the game, and in place of injured All-Star point guard Derrick Rose, led the Bulls with a huge 26 points and 11 rebounds. Deng dominated Pierce in their matchups last season and will look to continue the same this year. Deng did, however, turn the ball over three times on the night.

Every Celtics starter scored in double-digits and Richard Hamilton was the only Chicago starter that failed to notch at least 10 points on the evening.

Boston shot only 18 percent from behind the three-point arc, but connected on every shot they attempted from the free throw line. The Bulls connected on 45 percent from the field, but their 13 turnovers doomed them.

Rondo kept his streak of 31-consecutive games with 10 or more assists alive, getting his 10th assist on the night with just 22 seconds left in the game.

The Celtics will attempt to keep to continue their winning ways when they face off against the Utah Jazz Wednesday night from the TD Garden at 7:30 pm ET.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit SB Nation's team blog, CelticsBlog.

Celtics vs. Bulls score update: Boston leads Chicago, 58-46, at the half

Rajon Rondo has 10 points, five rebounds and four assists as the Boston Celtics lead the Chicago Bulls, 58-46, from the United Center Monday night in Chicago, IL.

Boston took control from the tip, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead behind the hot shooting of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Chris Wilcox remains the first man off the bench due to his ability to play quality defense inside and run in transition, which gives a unique dimension to this Celtics squad. Wilcox's production won't always translate to points of big numbers on the stat sheet, but he's rotating properly and playing the high-motor type game Glen Davis previously played for Boston.

Jeff Green continued his solid play from Saturday night's win over the Milwaukee Bucks with four points and one rebound over six minutes before spraining his right ankle in the second quarter.

The Celtics notched 1-of-7 shots from three-point land, but made up for it by shooting 100 percent from the free throw line. Chicago connected on 45 percent from the field and had 20 points in the paint.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 10 points in the first half, while Carlos Boozer matched him with 12 points for the Bulls.

In the first quarter, Garnett passed Allen Iverson for No. 17 on the NBA all-time scoring list with 24,370 points.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit SB Nation's team blog, CelticsBlog.

NBA schedule 2012: Celtics face three games in four days

The Boston Celtics are 3-3 on the season and have a tough week ahead.