The Celtics opened preseason without most of their big names, and that turned a trip to Cleveland into a showcase for the rest of the roster. Boston rolled out a starting five of Mike Conley, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and Luka Garza, while Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, Paul George, Derrick White, Mitchell Robinson, Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, and Ron Harper Jr. all sat. Even with Joe Mazzulla absent and Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay handling the sideline duties, Boston still walked away with a 124-113 win over a Cavaliers group that mostly leaned on its regulars early.
Cleveland started Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, with James Harden out, and for a while the game played like the mismatch it looked like on paper. It didn’t stay that way.
Boston hung around, then took control of the first half and went into intermission up nine, with Devin Carter pacing the offense. When the Cavaliers shifted to their bench in the second half, the Celtics’ edge evaporated and the game tightened up quickly.
By the middle of the third quarter, the score was tied.
That’s where Boston’s deeper end of the roster made the difference. Tucker DeVries knocked down a couple of threes that swung the game back in Boston’s favor, and the Celtics’ Exhibit 10 players, along with Dillon Mitchell, finished the job. It was the kind of preseason game that turns into a survival test late, and Boston handled the closing stretch better to secure the win.
Carter was the clear bright spot. One game into preseason, he already looks like the front-runner for Boston’s open two-way spot.
He finished with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, hitting 5-of-9 from the floor and 1-of-3 from deep. The numbers matched the eye test: he was active in transition, attacked open lanes, chased loose balls, and kept popping up around the action.
The jumper still needs work, and he did cough it up five times when the pressure picked up, but the talent was obvious. The same burst that made him a lottery pick a few years ago was on display.
Carter is competing with DeVries, Milos Uzan, Hayden Gray, and Gabe McGlothan for the final two-way job, and after Thursday night, he’s the clear favorite.
Walsh had a quieter night in the opposite direction. He drew the assignment on Mitchell to start the game and held up reasonably well defensively, but his offense never found a smooth rhythm.
He scored 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting, which looks fine in the box score, but the game itself told a different story. Walsh hesitated too often, seemed unsure when to let it fly, and the possessions where he put the ball on the floor usually ended in trouble.
As a low-usage 3-and-D option, he was acceptable, and the five fouls didn’t help, but it was an uneven season debut for the young wing.
In Other News...
Neemias Queta Is Chasing A Celtics Role Change Fans Will Notice
Neemias Queta has spent the offseason and training camp trying to expand the part of his game that could change how the Celtics use him. Already a useful interior big with rebounding, screening and finishing strength around the basket, Queta has focused on improving his 3-point shot so he can offer Boston a little more floor spacing when hes on the floor.
It would be a notable shift for a player who has rarely taken threes in the NBA or college and has only made one at the pro level. But for the Celtics, the appeal is obvious if Queta can make that shot a real part of his package, because even a modest threat from deep would make it harder for opponents to ignore him and easier for Boston to keep its offense moving. [Read more 🡒]
First Look At A Very Different Celtics Team Tonight
The Celtics open preseason play tonight against the Cavaliers, and the first look comes with an unusual setup on the bench. Assistant coaches Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay will handle the game in halves while Joe Mazzulla takes a back seat, a reminder that this stage is less about the final score and more about sorting through a roster that looks meaningfully different from last springs version.
Bostons group has undergone some real turnover, with Jaylen Brown out of the picture and Paul George, Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley now part of the mix. Cleveland is also using October to sift through tweaks of its own after a quiet offseason, and both sides are treating this as an early evaluation night, even if the Celtics have not yet fully revealed who will actually be available to suit up. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Mazzulla Is Letting Celtics Assistants Face A Real Test
The Celtics first preseason game against the Cavaliers will come with a different look on the sideline, as Joe Mazzulla is stepping back and handing the coaching duties to two assistants. Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay will share the workload in Cleveland, giving Boston a chance to see how the staff functions when the head coach is not directing things in the usual way.
Mazzulla said the move is meant to give the assistants a real developmental opportunity, which matters for a bench that has already been asked to grow alongside a championship-caliber roster. It also adds a little extra meaning to the preseason opener, since both Dobbins and MacLeay have been on the radar for bigger roles and now get a live-game setting to show how they handle them. [Read more 🡒]