Is it the regular season yet?
The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 81-65 on Friday night in a decidedly sloppy preseason finale at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H. Marcus Smart and rookie Jordan Mickey were the only two Celtics in double figures with 10 points apiece, while Jared Sullinger tallied a team-high 14 rebounds.
Everyone on Boston’s 17-man roster saw playing time.
STARTING FIVE
Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, David Lee, Tyler Zeller
STAR OF THE GAME
Bradley, who didn’t play past the first quarter but certainly made the most of his brief time on the court. The 24-year-old was an animal on the defensive end, racking up a team-high four steals despite playing less than 10 minutes. He also tallied six points on an efficient 3-for-4 shooting night.
BECAUSE IT’S THE PRESEASON
As mentioned above, this wasn’t a pretty affair.
The Celtics, whose offense has been rolling this preseason, couldn’t find their rhythm Friday night, shooting just 35 percent from the floor (35-for-100) and committing 17 turnovers. Isaiah Thomas had a particularly brutal night, going 3-for-17 from the field to finish with seven points.
Fortunately for Boston, the Sixers were even worse — they made just 24 field goals on 28.9 percent shooting and committed 23 turnovers.
SMALL BALL
Brad Stevens employed several guard-heavy combinations in the first half. Crowder slid to the four at one point with Amir Johnson as his center, while Smart, Bradley and Thomas had a brief moment on the court together.
Those small units proved ferocious on defense and produced many fast breaks, which led to cool plays like this.
ROSTER WATCH
This was the final audition for several Celtics fighting for a spot on Boston’s 15-man roster.
Guard James Young entered the game in the first quarter — the first time he has done that this preseason — and finished with just three points on 1-for-12 shooting. Forward Perry Jones still didn’t enter the game until the second half and tallied three points on 1-for-5 shooting.
Unless something changes, it appears Jones might be the odd man out on this Celtics team.
UP NEXT
Meaningful basketball games!
The Celtics will catch their collective breaths over the next few days, then welcome the Sixers to TD Garden on Wednesday, Oct. 28, for their season opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
