The Celtics closed the preseason with a win that said a lot about the shape of their roster, even with most of their top names sitting out Friday night in Philadelphia.
Boston took on the 76ers for the second time this preseason and, despite a major depth gap, came away with a 125-120 overtime victory. The Celtics finished exhibition play at 4-0 and now turn to their regular season opener in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon against the Pistons.
The setup made the result stand out. Boston held out nearly all of its key players, while Philadelphia rolled out most of the regulars expected to be in the starting lineup this season and gave them 24-plus minutes. The Celtics were also led from the sideline by Sam Cassell, with head coach Joe Mazzulla taking the night off.
Among the Celtics’ inactive names were Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Mitchell Robinson, Sam Hauser, Paul George, Neemias Queta, Mike Conley and Devin Carter. The 76ers were without VJ Edgecombe, Dominick Barlow, Anfernee Simons, Ariel Hukporti, Adem Bona and Tacko Fall.
Boston’s biggest bright spot was Hugo Gonzalez, who finished with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists in a little under 20 minutes. Ron Harper Jr. added 16 points, and rookie Chris Cenac Jr. chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds in 19 and a half minutes.
Philadelphia got a strong night from Joel Embiid, who scored a game-high 27 points in 29 minutes. Jaylen Brown, facing his former team for the first time, posted 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks.
The starters for Philly didn’t see much of the closing stretch, and the game turned into a battle between the back ends of both rotations before Boston edged it out in overtime.
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