Porzingis, Holiday make Celtics debut as Celts top…

Porzingis, Holiday make Celtics debut as Celts top Sixers 114-106 in first preseason action

The Boston Celtics opened the 2023-24 preseason with a 114-106 home victory against the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston will play four more preseason tilts after this one, including another matchup with Philadelphia on Wednesday before opening the regular season on the road against the New York Knicks on October 25.

Under normal circumstances, there isn’t all that much to gleam from NBA preseason action. And Phildalephia was without Joel Embiid and James Harden. But thanks to a busy offseason period, however, things are different for the Celtics this preseason. Not only was Sunday Boston’s first look at newly acquired All-Stars Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, but Payton Pritchard, fresh off of signing a four-year contract extension, led a dazzling fourth quarter comeback for the home team.

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Let’s take a closer look at how things shook out Sunday evening. Here’s your game recap for a Celtics preseason 114-106 win against the 76ers.

Boston Celtics projected by ESPN to lead the NBA in wins in 2023-24 https://t.co/5qVpu1hB7b

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 8, 2023

Boston's offense

It wasn’t the most efficient outing for the Celtics on offense. As a team, the club’s scoring attack was inconsistent, and Boston had 16 turnovers. Jayson Tatum had a particularly forgettable game. It is the preseason, after all.

That said, Porzingis looked spectacular in his debut. He connected on a number of big time dunks, showcasing his ability to rock the rim. He finished with 17 points, including shooting 2-3 on 3-pointers. Porzingis looked very much so like a unicorn, while Holiday was also dazzling and provided some solid scoring off the bench. Holiday’s passing and rebounding were perhaps even more important.

Payton Pritchard might have stolen the show, however. As exciting as it was to see Boston’s new star core finally play together, Pritchard led all scorers with 26 points and 4 assists, helping power the Celtics to an exciting comeback win.

Celtics two-way guard Jay Scrubb suffers ACL tear during practice https://t.co/7hiWGzlrnS

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 8, 2023

Boston's defense

Across the board, rotations were a little slow for Boston and there were some noticeable defensive hiccups, but nothing out of the ordinary for where we are at on the NBA calendar. That was a theme across the board, for the Celtics including a slight wardrobe malfunction for Jaylen Brown.

Regardless, Boston has the personnel to have a very special defense, and there were plenty of moments where this was evident during Sunday’s action. Porzingis and Holiday also looked sharp on this side of the ball, as did Al Horford.

Boston's Jaylen Brown inadvertently wears his game shorts backward for Cs-76ers preseason tilt https://t.co/GpnYPXr2Qs

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 8, 2023

Final thoughts

Boston has real championship aspirations, and the Celtics are much more concerned with how things look in May and June.

Still, it was an exciting game and a fun teaser for what may be to come. Boston looked stellar at times, scoring 39 points in the second quarter alone. Down the stretch, Pritchard, Oshae Brissett, and Lamar Stevens combined for a thrilling close to the game.

Boston will be back on the court tomorrow evening for a second postseason tilt on the road against the New York Knicks.