Banner Town Breakdown: Celtics vs. 76ers
TIM NWACHUKWU | GETTY
The Celtics took on the 76ers in the first game of their two-game preseason schedule, with the game ending in a 108-99 loss for the guys in green. Both Jayson Tatum (10 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast) and Jaylen Brown (5 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast) played roughly 22 minutes, as did Marcus Smart (4 pts, 2 ast). With Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis both out, Robert Williams III (8 pts, 6 reb) was left to man the middle against All-Star Joel Embiid (18 pts, 3 reb), leading to a dominant performance from Philadelphia’s superstar center.
The game started off with some sloppy play by the Celtics. There were far too many unforced turnovers that led to Philadelphia getting easy looks in transition. It almost seemed as if the Celtics weren’t putting enough effort into the game; there just wasn’t enough energy on the court. Smart specifically struggled to make the right decisions early on, leading to some poorly executed offensive possessions.
The one standout from the first quarter, though, was Javonte Green (7 pts, 1 reb). Much to everyone’s surprise, Green was inserted into the starting lineup for the game. Despite the doubt from many Boston fans ,he scored five early points, including a sweet alley oop finish off the assist from Brown. His high-effort play and the hustle he showed on the defensive end could be enough to earn him rotational minutes this season.
As mentioned earlier, a large story of this game was Philadelphia’s dominance in the paint. No matter what center the C’s had in the game, Embiid was having his way in the paint. In fact, this was the case for all of the Sixers. They were getting to the paint at will as Grant Williams (5 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), Tacko Fall (5 pts, 3 reb) and Williams III struggled to position themselves well enough to get a stop. One of the game’s biggest takeaways has to be cutting off easy drives to the baset.
The second half was much better for Boston in terms of the energy they brought to the floor, and Smart showed that in the first couple minutes of the third. There was a little surge of hope to open the second half, but it was quickly squashed by Shake Milton (19 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), who caught fire in the third quarter. He was having his way with some of the younger guards on the Celtics who saw a lot of playing time in the last two quarters.
Speaking of guards, newly acquired veteran Jeff Teague (18 pts, 1 ast) and rookie Payton Pritchard (16 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast) stole the show in this one. They both played well in the first half, but started to shine later on in this one. Teague was the only sense of consistency for the C’s the entire night, as the common theme was a lack of ball movement and sloppy offense. He provided a steady hand for the team to lean on and did a great job of running the offense.
“That was the only time the ball was moving the way it needs to, was when he was in the game.” “We looked the most fluent offensively when Jeff was in the game tonight” - Brad Stevens
As for Pritchard, the rookie turned heads with his shooting ability. He was able to nail a couple threes for Boston, as well as showing off some great playmaking ability. The way he handles himself on the court makes it seem as though he’s been in the league for years. As of now, this looks like a draft pickup by Danny Ainge.
The other standout of the night was rookie Aaron Nesmith (8 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast) who showed off his beautiful jumpshot, as well as some unexpected hustle and rebounding ability. The C’s look to improve upon their performance in their next, and final preseason game. They’ll face off against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, December 18 at 8:00 PM EST at TD Garden.
