The Boston Celtics improved to 2-1 in preseason play with their 112-101 victory over the Philidelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown sat for the second consecutive game as Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Derrick White returned to the lineup.
Porzingis, Holiday, Horford, and White all got the start, alongside Sam Hauser. Each played 17 minutes, all in the first half.
The Celtics shot 12-of-24 (50%) from three-point range in the first half, with makes from seven different players. The C's finished the night shooting 51% from the field with seven players finishing with double-figures.
Kelly Oubre (18 points, three rebounds) and Tyrese Maxey (17 points, three assists, three rebounds) led the way for the 76ers, who were without Joel Embiid and James Harden.
Here are three takeaways from game three of preseason action.
Payton Pritchard continues to impress
"Preseason P" is the new nickname for Pritchard, coined by NBC Sports Boston broadcaster Drew Carter, and it’s quite fitting.
Pritchard finished the night with 17 points on 7-of-15 (46.7%) shooting and dished out three assists. Pritchard has now totaled 64 points on 23-of-44 (52.2%) shooting from the field and 13-of-31 (41.9%) from deep. The 25-year-old has led the Celtics in scoring in every game.
Pritchard, with help from the defensive play, fueled an 18-3 Celtics run to end the third quarter that put the game out of reach on Wednesday night. The fourth-year guard scored or assisted on four of Boston’s six makes over that stretch.
There has been a lot of hype surrounding Pritchard at camp, and we are seeing why. Pritchard continues to show improvement as a passer and on his inside game, finishing at the rim this preseason.
Fresh off an extension, Pritchard is expected to see a much larger role this season, and he seems poised for a breakout season.
Strong performance from Porzingis and Holiday
Let’s start with Porzingis. The 7-foot-3 big man showed a little bit of everything on Wednesday night. From spacing the floor, executing the pick and roll, getting to the free throw line, and protecting the rim on defense, it was another strong showing from Porzingis, who finished the night with 11 points and five boards.
Porzingis brings a whole new dimension to the Celtics’ offense. The way Porzingis spaces the floor, along with being able to knock down a shot from almost anywhere on the court, is something the C’s will benefit tremendously from, and we are getting glimpses of that in the preseason.
As for Holiday, the 33-year-old made his first start of the preseason and looked much more acclimated on Wednesday night after a tough start in the opener. Holiday finished the night with 11 points on 5-of-7 (71.4%) shooting, two assists, and two boards.
Holiday was physical and forced misses on the defensive end as he made his presence felt on both ends of the floor.
Derrick White heard the disrespect
On Tuesday, ESPN released their top 100 players for the 2023-24 season. White was a glaring omission on that list. Coming off a season in which he was arguably Boston’s best two-way player, the panel made up of nearly 150 reporters, editors, producers, and analysts passed on White, selecting guys like Colin Sexton and Russell Westbrook over White.
White showed why he belonged on that list Wednesday night.
In 17 minutes of play, White totaled 11 points on 4-of-8 (50%) shooting, three boards, and four assists. Most notably, the 6-foot-4 guard totaled three (!) blocks, tied with Philidelphia’s entire team in the first half.
White, who led the league in blocks amongst guards a season ago (76), reminded everyone he is an elite rim protector and is a top-100 player in the NBA on Wednesday night.
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