The Celtics continued their preseason slate on Friday night with a 107-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors, falling to 1-1 in preseason play.
Here are seven takeaways from the loss as Boston returns home to close out the preseason with games on Sunday against the Cavaliers and Wednesday against the Raptors.
Long weekend
Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser got the night off. Jordan Walsh, who left Wednesday night’s game with aductor tightness, was also out.
Anfernee Simons makes his debut
Anfernee Simons, acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jrue Holiday, finished the night with 18 points (6-13 FG, 2-7 3PT, 4-4 FT). The scoring ability was evident. After all, he averaged 19.3 points in 70 starts last season, and 22.1 and 21.6 in the two seasons before that. The focus on Simons is his defense, and after getting into foul trouble early — picking up three in the first five minutes, he bounced back nicely, showing flashes on that end of the floor. If the defense improves, the Celtics have something here.
A tough night for Neemias Queta
Neemias Queta had a strong showing at EuroBasket this summer, averaging 15.5 points, eight rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game, demonstrating noticeable improvement. That didn’t carry over to his first preseason action, though.
He had lapses on both ends of the floor, finishing with more turnovers (5) than points (4). His five turnovers also matched his rebound total. Queta has shown flashes, and the Celtics remain confident in his development, but Friday night wasn’t a great showing.
Revenge game for Chris Boucher
Call it a (preseason) revenge game. Chris Boucher, who spent the last seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors and holds the franchise’s bench records for most points, rebounds, blocks, made threes, games played, and minutes played, was everywhere in his return to The Six.
The 32-year-old finished the night with 19 points (7-10 FG, 2-5 3PT, 3-4 FT), tied with Payton Pritchard for the team-high. Boucher’s nine rebounds led the game, and he also added two assists, a block, and a steal. His two three-pointers came back-to-back during a 20-3 Celtics run to close the first half.
Boucher, who finished a game-high +22 in 23 minutes, is putting together a strong preseason. He’s been active on both ends, providing a spark of energy and looking very comfortable in the system.
“The Lawnmower” continues to live up to the name
On the first possession of the game, Josh Minott grabbed an offensive rebound. Just over a minute later, he grabbed another. Moments after that, he had a steal. Minott, who finished with seven rebounds, a block, and a game-high three steals on Wednesday, continued to make plays on Friday night.
He was a pest defensively, crashed the boards on both ends, created extra possessions, kept plays alive, and simply made things happen. He finished with 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-3 3PT), six rebounds, a steal, a block, and a +15 in 25:39.
The 22-year-old, who has played just 463 minutes in his three-year NBA career, looks to have the upper hand in the battle for wing minutes behind Sam Hauser and Jaylen Brown, living up to his nickname, the “Lawnmower,” with relentless energy and effort.
Luka Garza continues to trend up
Like Minott, Garza, another Timberwolf who was buried in the rotation, continues to trend in the right direction.
Garza has seen just 1,018 total minutes (regular and postseason) in his four-year NBA career, averaging only 7.4 per game, and he has never averaged more than 13 minutes in a season. On Friday, he finished with 12 points (3-7 FG, 0-2 3PT, 6-7 FT), six rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Much like Wednesday night in Memphis, Garza’s 6-foot-10, 240-pound frame was active in screening, creating opportunities for others. Like Minott, Garza appears more than capable of providing solid rotation minutes.
Ugly collapse
It was a brutal ending for the soon-to-be Maine Celtics.
The Celtics led by 21 at halftime. They were outscored 65-42 in the second half, blowing a 27-point second-half lead and a 14-point fourth-quarter lead.
It was a tough watch. Boston didn’t have a primary ball-handler on the floor for long stretches as Mazzulla turned to the training camp invitees and two-way players to get them minutes. Ugly as it was, Mazzulla believes it was a helpful learning experience.
“That’s good,” he said. “They have to go through that. Those guys have to get those reps.”