The Celtics stayed undefeated in preseason action on Saturday night with a 139-89 blowout win over the 76ers at TD Garden. Boston led by as many as 54 points against an undermanned Sixers squad that rested all of their top eight players coming off a back-to-back against the Timberwolves on Friday night.
Boston’s starters feasted early against the 76ers deep reserve, piling up 40-18 advantage in the first quarter that ballooned from there. Jaylen Brown (18 points) led six different Celtics in double figures while Jayson Tatum added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in just 23 minutes before getting most of the second half off. Rookie Jared McCain had game-high 20 points in the setback for Philadelphia.
Boston improves to 3-0 in the preseason with the victory with two games remaining beginning on Sunday night against the Raptors. The Sixers fell to 1-2 with the defeat.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win on Saturday night:
Kornet shines while Horford rests: The Celtics are content to keep some wear and tear off Al Horford this preseason as he missed his third straight game. Luke Kornet continues to start in his place and played one of the best halves of his career against the 76ers reserves. He led all scorers in the first half with 15 points, helping the hosts pile up 12 second chance points thanks to five offensive rebounds. Kornet is going to be a player opposing defenses don’t focus on all season long especially when he’s on the floor with the starters. However, his size and hoop IQ allows him to find easy looks within the offense and on the glass, as evidenced by his 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Boston’s front-court depth will be tested to begin the year with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined but Kornet continually looks up to the task for bigger minutes.
Starters look ready for regular season already: Coming off a five-day break, Joe Mazzulla ran his starters (minus Al Horford) for their usual workload in the first three quarters and the results were quite promising. Boston’s stars were engaged on both ends of the floor while the team’s passing cohesion remains as good as ever. The level of competition wasn’t exactly a challenge for this group but Mazzulla has to be pleased with the sense of purpose this group is playing with coming off a title. With just two preseason games remaining in the next three days, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this group be done outside of a quick first half cameo in Toronto on Tuesday night. No need to risk anything with this group working so well.
Guerschon Yabusele looks like he belongs: The former Celtics big man drew the start at center for the Sixers with the team resting the majority of their regulars. Yabusele couldn’t prevent the Sixers’ bench from being run off the floor by Boston’s starters but the 28-year-old held his own over his 20 minutes of action. He knocked down a pair of threes, posting seven points and three rebounds overall to go along with a block. Beyond stretching the floor from the perimeter, Yabusele also bullied Jayson Tatum on a postup for an easy layup. The Sixers don’t a lot of high-energy options off the bench with size in their big rotation so it looks like Yabusele has a chance to fill that role.
Lonnie Walker shows the best version of himself: The veteran guard had been relegated to mop up duty in his first two preseason games with Boston. Saturday night, Mazzulla gave Walker a chance with Boston’s regular bench rotation and he made the most of it. Walker (nine points) is known for his aggressiveness with his shot but he was a pass-first player against the Sixers tallying seven assists off the bench including multiple unselfish sequences. He was also pesky on the defensive end (two steals, one block) and looked like worthy wildcard option with Boston’s second unit for at least one night. It’s still going to be an uphill climb for him to make the final roster but it’s easy to see now the team’s vision in bringing him aboard for a closer look after this outing.
