Boston Celtics: Highlights from the Fifth Preseason Game
By Andrew Fine
The Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets in the previous meeting in Brooklyn and Monday’s game was no different. The Celtics defeated the Nets 111-105 at the TD Garden in Boston’s first home game of the preseason. Much like the last meeting, both teams were without many of their key players.
Notable DNPs for the Nets included Jarrett Jack, Joe Johnson, Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez. The Celtics were down Isaiah Thomas, David Lee, and Jae Crowder. Here are a few quick reactions from the team’s fourth preseason victory.
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Reloaded Rozier
Terry Rozier returned to court after a two game absence and picked up where he left off in Europe. Rozier scored 16 points (including three 3-pointers) and had six assists in 28 minutes. He was also effective on defense, coming away with four steals. Rozier, not known for his 3-point shooting, is now 6 of 8 from behind the arc in the preseason.
He’ll find time as Boston’s third point guard if he can prove that his outside shooting is no fluke, while continuing to be a force on defense. Also, they’ll be calling him Roz-Air after this dunk:
Consistently Stuffed
Evan Turner continued to fill the box score in his third preseason game of the season. After missing the first two games of the preseason, Turner has been one of Boston’s most consistent players. In Monday’s game against Brooklyn, he had 10 points, 7 rebounds and six assists in 26 minutes. Turner is averaging 10.3 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in his three preseason games, which is on par with his averages last year.
The New Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk continues to demonstrate that his game is evolving in every preseason game. Olynyk’s progress is not apparent in the stats sheet and should not go unnoticed. He’s a much better ball handler and been consistently aggressive on the floor. He could be a candidate for a breakout season given how different his play style is this season.
Smart With the Put Back Dunk
Marcus Smart had a solid game, scoring nine points and dishing out four assists in 26 minutes. Smart made the play of the game in the second quarter after he cleaned up a Kelly Olynyk 3-point miss with a put back dunk. That kind of effort comes from within, which speaks volumes about the type of player that Smart is.
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