It was a revenge game of sorts for the Chicago Bulls, as they were able to successfully avenge the historic defeat they suffered at the hands of the Boston Celtics a couple of months back. On Saturday, it was the Bulls that came out on top, 126-116, as they recorded their third consecutive win.

Following the victory, Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen tried to downplay the impact the previous loss had on Saturday night's matchup, saying the team had already put the humiliating defeat — their worst in franchise history — behind them.

“That's in the past, a couple of months ago,” Lauri Markkanen said, per The Associated Press. “We had it in the back of our minds. We didn't talk about it too much. The coaches didn't say anything about it.”

Nonetheless, it was clear that Markkanen and the rest of the Bulls had not completely forgotten about that horrible evening. After all, who could completely erase the memory of a 56-point defeat?

What's important, though, is that the Bulls were able to use this as motivation to upset the Celtics on Saturday night. Markkannen had a huge game, netting a career-high 35 points on a very efficient 12-of-20 from the field. The 21-year-old sophomore also chipped in three 3-pointers, 15 rebounds, a couple of assists, a steal, and just one turnover in 37 minutes of action.

Bulls guard Zach LaVine was equally as impressive on the evening with a career-high 42 markers on 17-of-29 shooting. The former Slam Dunk Contest champion also added five 3-pointers six rebounds, and four assists.

They may not admit it, but the historic defeat they suffered likely played a role in these huge performances.