The Boston Celtics held off a fourth quarter surge from the Toronto Raptors, defeating them 115-111. This victory makes the Celtics 4-0 in the preseason with only one game remaining. Meanwhile, the Raptors dropped to 1-2. After a win against the Philadelphia 76ers the night before, the Boston Celtics decided to bench their starters and a few other rotation players in this game. The Celtics reserves jumped out to a sizeable lead early, leading 69-37 at halftime. The Raptors fought back and nearly completed the comeback with a scoring burst in the fourth quarter, but Boston held on for the win.
The Boston Celtics’ Starters
Many of the Boston Celtics‘ star players sat, so the starting lineup for this game was very different. The Celtics started Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Lonnie Walker IV, Jordan Walsh, and Neemias Queta. With so many players out, this allowed reserves and players fighting for roster spots to prove their value. One of these players was Lonnie Walker IV. Walker is currently on an E10 contract with the Celtics, meaning he could be sent down to the G-League after training camp.
Walker was battling to make the 15-man roster and took advantage of his minutes in this game. In 30 minutes, Walker had 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, going 4-of-9 from three. Jordan Walsh also looked good, with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Walsh spent most of his rookie season in the G-League, but throughout the preseason has looked impressive and fit in well with the bench unit. Walsh is a player who could be ready to make the jump from a two-way player to a rotational piece on the 15-man roster.
Payton Pritchard also pitched in with 19 points and Neemias Queta had 12, along with 15 rebounds. Sam Hauser had a cold night shooting the ball, going 2-of-11 and 1-of-7 from three for just five points. But he has had other hot shooting nights this preseason, so it is likely nothing to worry about, just an off night.
Other Standout Performances
Despite the new starting lineup, the Boston Celtics leading scorer came off the bench. Drew Peterson had 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 3-of-5 from three, and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Peterson was another two-way player last season, spending most of the year in the G-League. Peterson is another player who could make a run for the 15-man roster, especially if he can consistently play like this. Rookie Anton Watson also got more playing time, and even though his four points do not exactly jump out in the box score, two of those points came off an emphatic dunk.
Watson is likely to spend his rookie season in the G-League but looked encouraging in his playing time. Another Boston Celtics rookie, first-round pick Baylor Scheierman, struggled. Scheierman shot 0-of-6, not scoring a single point. For most of the preseason, Scheierman has had difficulty finding his shot, and it could be the difference- maker for other players to pass over him in the rotation. Lonnie Walker IV, Jordan Walsh, and others have been impressive this preseason and have more experience. So, Baylor Scheierman may need to take a bit more time to develop before becoming a consistent rotation player.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics held off a fourth quarter comeback to defeat the Toronto Raptors 115-111. With just one preseason game remaining, the 4-0 Celtics are getting closer to narrowing down their roster. Many players got a chance to prove themselves tonight with the starters not playing, and many took advantage of that chance. The Boston Celtics have one more preseason game against the Toronto Raptors before they make their roster decisions and move toward the NBA regular season.
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