109 days after winning the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics returned to action with a 107-103 victory in the first of their two preseason games in Abu Dhabi against the Denver Nuggets.
Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown all started, and each played the entire first quarter but did not play more than 19 minutes total. Al Horford, who is entering his 18th NBA season, did not play – Luke Kornet got the start in his place.
Boston’s reserves erased a 12-point halftime deficit and hung on down the stretch to secure the victory, earning praise from Jaylen Brown postgame.
“I thought our second group came out and played astonishing,” Brown said.
Here are five takeaways from the win.
Letting it fly
The Celtics’ 1,351 made threes last season were the second-most in NBA history, behind the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors. Boston led the NBA in made threes per game (16.5), which would rank third all-time in NBA history.
In total, the Celtics outscored their opponents 4,053-3,177 (+876) on the perimeter. In the Joe Mazzulla era, Boston has a +1,959 (!) on the perimeter.
The three-ball is an integral part of their offense, and on Friday, they took it to another level.
Boston jacked up 61 threes – the most they’ve ever attempted in a game. Their previous high was 59 in a loss to the Knicks in March of 2023.
The Celtics didn’t necessarily shoot the ball well in the preseason opener, misfiring on 41 of their 61 attempts finishing the game shooting 32.8%.
Obviously, if this were a regular or postseason game, the offense would’ve been played differently, and there wouldn’t be as many threes. But 61 attempts is incredible.
For those curious, only 12 teams in NBA history (regular and postseason) have attempted 60+ threes. The NBA record is 70, set by the Houston Rockets in 2019.
Jayson Tatum’s jumper
Speaking of three-pointers, Jayson Tatum’s three-point shooting looked just fine on Friday.
It’s been well-documented. Tatum is in an extended shooting slump; he shot 28.3% in the postseason and didn’t make any in the Olympics.
He didn’t light up the stat sheet on Friday – finishing the game 3-of-7 (42.9%) – but that’s closer to what we’re used to seeing from the All-NBA wing and is undoubtedly better than what we have seen.
It was nice to see Tatum not being overly aggressive – he finished with five assists – but also jacking some shots up. Seven of Tatum’s 11 shot attempts came from beyond the arc. Typically, that wouldn’t be a good thing, but with it being preseason, Tatum should be jacking them up and trying to find his stroke.
The return of “Preseason P”
Payton Pritchard was the player on the floor on Friday afternoon.
The 26-year-old finished with a game-high 21 points on 6-of-12 (50%) shooting from deep, four rebounds, and six assists, which was also a game-high. As he so often does, the Oregon product provided a spark immediately, knocking down four threes off the bench in the second quarter.
Celtics fans know what Pritchard is capable of. He was one of the most impactful reserves in the league last season, thriving in his expanded role. With Kristaps Porzingis – who averaged 20.1 points per game for Boston last season – sidelined, the Celtics are going to need a scoring boost, and Pritchard has proven he’s more than capable of providing that punch. Friday was just another reminder.
The battle for minutes on the wing
Although Oshae Brissett didn’t play every game, he played an important role for the Celtics as the next man up when the Celtics were shorthanded. With Brissett now gone, it clears the way for another wing, and the two names to watch are Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh — both of whom we saw on Friday.
Walsh was a bright spot for Boston as he bounced back nicely from a rough Summer League showing. The 20-year-old finished with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 from deep, with four boards (three offensive), four assists, and three blocks, en route to finishing a +12, tied for the team-best.
Though his three-point shooting was unconvincing, Walsh showed real promise on defense throughout his 24 minutes of action – a crucial area where his NBA career will likely be defined.
Meanwhile, it was a debut to forget for rookie Baylor Scheierman, who finished 0-of-3 with an airball and a corner three that hit the top of the backboard, and a turnover in a little over seven minutes of play.
Scheierman will bounce back, but for now, all signs appear that Walsh has the upper hand over the rookie in training camp.
The bigs
On the topic of competing for minutes, Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and Neemias Queta will be competing for minutes as the backup to Horford while Porzingis is out.
On Friday, Kornet got the start with Boston’s regular starters before Tillman subbed him out midway through the opening frame and got his chance with the starters.
Both proved steady, with Kornet finishing six points, a game-high 11 rebounds (four offensive), three assists, and a steal in 21 minutes, and Tillman finishing with six points, three rebounds (one offensive), an assist, two steals, and a block. It’s worth noting Tillman buried two corner threes, which is an encouraging development as he continues to work towards being a more efficient floor spacer.
Queta also got some run, playing for nearly 13 minutes in the second half. The 25-year-old struggled early, quickly fouling twice upon checking in. He cleaned it up later in the game but showed room for improvement before he can challenge Kornet or Tillman for minutes.
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