The Boston Celtics secured a dominant 130-104 victory in their second preseason game over the Denver Nuggets. This win will wrap up the Celtics week in Abu Dhabi, where they went 2-0, beating Denver in their first two preseason games. The Celtics led this game almost the entire way, taking the lead in the first quarter and never looking back. Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. For Denver, Nikola Jokic had a great game, scoring 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting despite only playing in the first half. Still, the Boston Celtics got ahead and won their second preseason game.
Boston Celtics Starters
The Boston Celtics began this game with the same starting five they played on Friday: Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Luke Kornet. Again, Al Horford did not play in this game. The Denver Nuggets changed their starting lineup, with Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, Vlatko Cancar, and Nikola Jokic. Regular Nuggets starters Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon did not play.
The Celtics’ offense was a mix of getting back into the groove and sloppy, preseason play. The spacing and ball movement were there for Boston. There were multiple possessions where Derrick White and Jrue Holiday were in the dunker’s spot on the low block, creating easy looks and floaters. Also, on defense, while Nikola Jokic was giving Boston a multitude of problems, there were multiple possessions where the Celtics had Holiday guarding the MVP. In the preseason, it is interesting to see Boston experimenting on offense and defense with different looks to see what works best.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s Performances
The main focal point for the Boston Celtics was Jaylen Brown. Brown played with confidence and swagger, getting to his spots and being aggressive. On one play, after scoring on Murray, Brown hit him with the “too small” taunt. Brown has worked hard during the offseason, putting on more muscle, and it showed in this game. Driving to the rim, or in the post, Brown was playing bully ball when matched up with smaller guards. He also had a couple of fadeaways and three-pointers to add to his total, leading the team with 21 points.
Tatum had 17 points, shooting 6-of-14 and 3-of-7 from three. Tatum changed up his jump shot in the offseason after shooting inconsistencies in the playoffs and Olympics. He is likely still adjusting to game speed, but the shot looked better. Tatum had a few smooth three-pointers and a crisp, high-arching fadeaway. The Boston Celtics played their starters in the second half, something they did not do on Friday. Meanwhile, Jokic sat after a 20-point first half, and the Celtics lead only grew from there.
Other Standouts
In this game, the big standout on the bench was Sam Hauser. Hauser had the hot hand, shooting 6-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from downtown for 15 points. And it was not just traditional catch-and-shoot threes. Hauser made a few plays off the dribble with mid-range shots, which could be a new wrinkle to his game. Payton Pritchard also played well, with 14 points, despite picking up three fouls in his first few minutes on the floor.
For most of the game, the Boston Celtics ran a bench lineup of Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Jaden Springer, Jordan Walsh, and Xavier Tillman or Neemias Queta. This could be an indicator that these are the players to watch out for in the Celtics rotation when the regular season begins.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics took the lead early on in this game and did not look back. Despite the expected preseason sloppiness and Jokic’s excellent first half, the Celtics secured a dominant victory. This makes them 2-0 in the preseason, winning both their games against Denver in Abu Dhabi. Now, they will head back to Boston to finish out the preseason.
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