Grieving Thomas not expected to miss Celtics' playoff games

The Chicago Bulls powered past the Boston Celtics 111-97 Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead over the Eastern Conference top seeds in their National Basketball Association playoff series, while the Toronto Raptors avoided falling into an 0-2 hole.

On Tuesday, Rondo had a near triple-double before finishing with 11 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.

Game 3 is in Chicago on Friday night as the Celtics face the possibility of not playing in front of their home fans again this season.

After giving up 20 offensive rebounds in Game 1, the Celtics spent the 48 hours leading up to Game 2 talking about a need to be better on the glass. The 28-year-old star's status for Game 2 was up in the air, following the death of his sister, Chyna Thomas, 22, in a tragic vehicle crash on April 15.

LeBron James doesn't have any siblings, so he knows he can't really emphasize with Celtics star Isaiah Thomas over the shocking death of his sister last weekend.

"As much as we've talked about Rondo, Butler and Wade, Lopez has crushed us", Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.

Toronto Raptors found their playoff feet as they drew level in their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Stevens said the decision about whether the All-Star guard would play was up to Thomas. And then there's playoff Rondo who morphs into one of the best players on the planet when it matters most - the playoffs.

Can the Boston Celtics bounce back in Game 2 of their series with the Chicago Bulls when the two meet tonight at 8PM ET?

After getting thoroughly pushed around underneath in Game 1, the Celtics grabbed the first four rebounds of the night while scoring the game's first seven points.

The Chicago Bulls also released a statement on Saturday, sending its condolences to Thomas and his family.

"In the second half, the ball stopped moving", Bradley said, per Himmelsbach. We're always going to be there for one another. Then, the day before Boston's playoff opener, Isaiah Thomas' sister was killed in a auto accident.

Then, at the end, the Celtics seemed to more or less fold under the Bulls' pressure - allowing Chicago to pull away in the final minutes with 3-pointer after 3-pointer for Dwyane Wade for a double-digit win.

"I think it helps a lot", Rondo said.

Given the tragedy Thomas suffered before Game 1 it's testament to the guard's fortitude that he is even playing this series.