The Boston Celtics returned to the TD Garden on Saturday night for the first game on their home court since they won the NBA Finals in June.
The last time the TD Garden was filled with Celtics fans was Jun. 17, as confetti was falling, Jaylen Brown was named MVP, and the Celtics raised the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the air as a team.
Boston started the game with the same lineup they used in their first two preseason games in Abu Dhabi: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Luke Kornet.
The Celtics put on a show for the fans in their first home game of the preseason. They scored 40-points in the first quarter, held a 23-point lead at halftime, and won the game by 50-points.
Boston finished the first half shooting 56 percent from the field, 43 percent from behind the arc, grabbed 32 rebounds, and dished 17 assists.
Kornet led the way in the first half for Boston, scoring 15-points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and grabbed eight rounds. He’s going to be expected to fill in for Kristaps Porzingis in the early part of the season while he recovers from offseason leg surgery.
Not to take shine away from Kornet, but all of Boston’s centers played well. Xavier Tillman was the first to sub in for Kornet and he hit his first shot from deep. Tillman finished the game with 11-points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-3 from behind the arc. He also added seven rebounds.
Neemias Queta saw 13-minutes primarily with the second unit. He only scored four-points in the blowout victory but he added four rebounds, two assists, and a block in what was a plus/minus +22 performance for the reserve center. He looked a little slow at times, but his work will be in the paint more than anywhere else.
Tatum and Brown played well right out of the gate. They combined for 34-points on 12-of-23 shooting, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. They’re ready for the season to begin to prepare their next championship run.
Although it was Kornet who had the big game, I was most impressed with Lonnie Walker IV’s production as we haven’t seen much of him in the preseason. He finished with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting and had four rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block playing with the bench unit for 25-minutes. The seven assists really turned my tune for Walker IV in Boston.
Walker IV is fighting for a roster spot with the Celtics, but he’s open to playing in Maine in the G League if he needs to. Boston currently has one roster spot open and it could go to him if he can continue playing well.
It’s worth noting that if Walker IV does end up in the G League, he’s essentially available for any other team to sign him as Boston doesn’t own any of his rights.
Boston had 14 players see action in this game and seven who did not. However, the Celtics play another game on Sunday, so maybe this was strategic by Joe Mazzulla. Drew Peterson, Anton Watson, Ron Harper Jr., and Jaden Springer were all DNP-CD. Al Horford and Jay Scrubb didn’t dress and Porzingis is injured.
The Celtics play again tonight as they host the Toronto Raptors for their fourth game of the preseason on Sunday evening.
Other notes and takeaways from Boston:
- Payton Pritchard leveled up.
- Baylor Scheierman hit first 3-pointer in TD Garden.
- Jordan Walsh is a more confident shooter.
Follow us on Twitter @CelticsFiles
Follow me on Twitter @Trombino20
Photo Credit: Brian Babineau, NBAE Getty Images
The Celtics Files 