The Celtics beat Philadelphia, 85-76, in an entertaining Summer League game on Sunday night, as four players combined for 74 points.
Boston scoring was led by Terry Rozier with 22 points and 5 assists, and R.J. Hunter’s 21 points. Jordan Mickey was the Celts’ most effective player, posting 16 points and 11 rebounds while blocking 4 shots. Jonathan Holmes added 15 points and 10 boards.
Marcus Smart didn’t play for the Celtics (for rest, but really because he’s just too good for Summer League). James Young missed his second straight game with a bruised hip. Meanwhile, Philly played without Jahlil Okafor, T.J. McConnell, and J.P. Tokoto.
Smart has sat out twice this summer, both times against the Sixers, coincidentally. The first time, Boston played terribly, shooting just 26.8% while displaying zero cohesion or aggression. Tonight they came out with noticeably more energy and sense of purpose. It reflects the progress that Jay Larranaga and his coaching staff have made in shaping this young group over the last 10 days or so.
The Celtics led this game 20-19 after one quarter while shooting 43%, battling on the boards and sharing the ball. Their shooting tailed off in the second quarter but the Cs still extended to a 40-36 advantage at halftime. Boston pulled further ahead with a 23-14 third quarter, highlighted by an 8-0 run, to lead 63-50 going to the final frame.
Philly got hot from the arc in the 4th quarter and twice pulled within two points before Mickey came to the rescue. He put back a Hunter miss, had a huge block on a dunk attempt by Jakarr Sampson, then threw one down off a feed from Corey Walden. Rozier drained a clutch trey to give Boston a seven-point lead with 1:04 remaining. From there, the Celts closed it by making eight straight free throws.
Boston’s four high scorers all demonstrated that they have NBA-worthy skills.
Mickey was the star of the night, shooting 7-12, controlling the glass, and adding some emphatic rejections. The second-round draft pick said recently he should have gone in the first round, and based on this performance it’s hard to argue with that.
Hunter hit his first shot of the night, a trey in transition, and continued to fire away from deep all night. He wasn’t efficient (5-15, 3-11 on threes), but he hit shots at key moments and made some solid passes. Hunter displayed more poise tonight than we’ve generally seen from James Young, although that may be because the former is two years older and/or played two more years in college.
Rozier was solid all night. On two notable hoops, he showed a nice touch to drop in a floater from the right of the paint and later banked home a spinning fadeaway. Most of his scoring came at the line (12-13).
Holmes had a nice sequence in the second quarter, first draining a three, then hustling ahead on a fast break to draw a shooting foul, making both free throws. A minute later he converted a layup off a 3-on-1 fastbreak. For the evening, he shot 3-4 from the arc and 5-10 overall.
Boston will play its final Summer League game against Miami on Tuesday, televised live on CSNNE at 7 p.m. EDT. NBATV will not carry the game live but will air a replay at 1:30 a.m. EDT.
Footwork like a veteran from Jordan Mickey.
What Ainge envisioned on draft night: Rozier to Hunter for 3.
Hunter to Mickey, sweet.
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