The Celtics defeated the Nuggets, 107-103, in the first of their two preseason games in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Here are some takeaways from the loss:
- Al Horford did not play, Luke Kornet starting in his place alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Boston’s starters weren’t expected to play a significant amount, with White, Brown and Tatum reaching 19 minutes while Holiday stopped after 12 in the first half. They’ll likely play less on Sunday given the earlier start.
- Brown blocked a shot and hit an early three before finishing 3-for-9 while Tatum posted 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, converting 3-for-7 from deep mostly pulling up with his new mechanics. White and Holiday combined for 5-of-16 shooting from the field, the starters clearly shaking off rust from the field and making up for it with 11 first half offensive rebounds. They finished with 17. Jaden Springer, Jordan Walsh and Kornet all grabbed offensive boards on one early possession, Tatum finished with three in the game and Walsh capped the night with a put-back dunk. A long miss that Brown hauled in led to one of Tatum’s threes. Boston shot 34.5% from the field and 28.6% from three in the first half.
- Kornet finished 3-for-5, getting involved in early plays as a screener, catching passes inside and kicking out to shooters. There probably isn’t any consideration to starting him over Horford, but the spot start served as a reminder how often Kornet, who’s the expected backup center with Kristaps Porzingis out to begin the year, will play with Boston’s regular rotation into second units. His complementary game remains effective within the Celtics’ system and his offensive rebounding (4) improvement carried over from last year. Kornet said earlier in training camp that he wants to become more aggressive putting up shots inside, which didn’t always show on Friday.
- Xavier Tillman Sr. relieved Kornet and looked more spry following offseason surgery on his nagging left knee injury. He grabbed two steals, blocked a shot and hit a pair of threes on three attempts, Denver’s defense mostly ignoring him as he filled in at center. Taking advantage of space defenses give Tillman will determine how often he plays when the Celtics reach full health. Boston also used him at the four next to Neemias Queta in the second half.
- Queta played 13 minutes after halftime, quickly fouling twice and colliding with Russell Westbrook while chasing a loose ball which banged him up seconds into his first stint. He later finish a pair of rim-running plays and posted up Nuggets guard Jahmir Nelson. He bounced back from a few early mistakes to play a solid game, but has room for growth before playing a regular role.
- Jordan Walsh became the game’s biggest pleasant surprise for Boston. He appeared in the first half second unit over Baylor Scheierman and Lonnie Walker IV, hitting a three and working around other misses (1-5 FG start) with three offensive rebounds, four assists and three blocks. The Celtics experimented with having him bring the ball up, likely for spacing purposes, while Walsh attacked closeouts from the corner and looked comfortable making entry passes. Boston might have a larger role in mind for Walsh than his G-League role from one year ago would indicate.
- Elsewhere off the bench, Payton Pritchard powered the win by thrashing Denver’s second unit for 21 points and six assists on 6-for-12 three point shooting. He looked in better form than any other Celtic, while Springer’s shot-making (0-3) limited him in a first half second unit role. Scheierman and Walker IV didn’t play until late, missing difficult shot attempts (0-5 FG combined). JD Davison navigated the late game offense comfortably, hitting a three right away on a Walsh kick-out, then blocking a shot and landing an alley-oop to while Drew Peterson scored 10 points in 12 minutes to close out a 12-point comeback win.
- Boston shot 61 threes, the most by far in franchise history, allowing for 20 makes even at a 32.8% rate.
- Joe Mazzulla attempted an early challenge, looking to a reverse an out of bounds call against White with a foul call on Denver, a new NBA rule. It was unsuccessful.