Brad Stevens says he’s disappointed in himself after Celtics’ loss to Bulls: ‘I have to do better’

Celtics coach Brad Stevens was not happy with himself after his team’s loss to the Bulls.

Stevens took responsibility for Boston’s defeat after it fell to lowly Chicago, 126-116, on Saturday at the United Center.

“At the end of the day, and I have said this before, I am disappointed in myself,” Stevens said, via NESN. “And I have got to do a lot better.”

The Celtics held a five-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Bulls took control before halftime and cruised to the victory.

“I’ve got to do better,” Stevens said. “I’ve got to make sure we are playing better on offense. We can’t let our transition slack like that. We’ve got to defend with more purpose and more intensity on the ball. … There is a lot to do.”

The Celtics entered the season with high expectations, but have been inconsistent throughout 2018-19. They dropped to 37-23 with the loss to Chicago and are in fifth place of the Eastern Conference standings.

“You’re going to have clunkers in the NBA,” Stevens said. “One of our disappointing parts of our season has been that we have let some games go that we played really well to start. We’re 60 games in, this is not a small sample as we have said before. Again, I have to do better.”

Boston will face the Raptors in Toronto on Tuesday.