76ers
Payton Pritchard's 25 off the bench power Celtics past 76ers in preseason rout
The Celtics blew open a tight start with a 39-22 second quarter and cruised to a 144-106 preseason win over the 76ers at TD Garden. Boston led by as many as 45 and got 81 points from its bench. It's an exhibition result, so it doesn't touch the standings, but it's an early look at Boston's depth against a 76ers group playing a lot of reserves.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 11 d ago01The story of the nightThe turning pointBoston led just 24-20 after one quarter, then the game shifted in the second.
Boston led just 24-20 after one quarter, then the game shifted in the second. The Celtics outscored Philadelphia 39-22 to take a 63-42 halftime lead, and a 41-27 third quarter stretched it to 104-69 after three. The 76ers never got the deficit under single digits again; Boston's biggest lead was 45 points. Philadelphia had only one lead change all night, same as Boston, meaning this was a game decided by sustained scoring runs, not back-and-forth swings.
02Top performersPayton Pritchard led all scorers with 25 points off the bench, going 7-for-12 from the floor and 5-for-8 from three…
Payton Pritchard led all scorers with 25 points off the bench, going 7-for-12 from the floor and 5-for-8 from three with 7 assists in 24.5 minutes. Jayson Tatum added 23 on 9-for-19 shooting, and Hugo Gonzalez chipped in 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting with 4 made threes off the bench. For Philadelphia, VJ Edgecombe scored 19 with 4 steals, Jabari Walker had 14 points and 6 rebounds, and Labaron Philon added 14 points and 7 assists off the bench.
03Where it was wonBoston controlled the paint 52-26 and won the boards 71-41, including offensive rebounds that fed second-chance looks.
Boston controlled the paint 52-26 and won the boards 71-41, including offensive rebounds that fed second-chance looks. The Celtics bench outscored Philadelphia's 81-48, and Boston ran out to 34 fast-break points against just 14 for the 76ers. Boston also scored 43 points off 20 Philadelphia turnovers, compared to 26 points off 22 Boston turnovers the other way. The 76ers shot 38.6% from the field and 15-for-53 from three, while the Celtics shot 52.1% and made 22 of 48 threes.
04What it meansThis was a preseason game, so it has no bearing on the standings, but it gave Boston a long look at its bench unit,…
This was a preseason game, so it has no bearing on the standings, but it gave Boston a long look at its bench unit, with Pritchard, Gonzalez, Sam Hauser (11 points) and Neemias Queta (6 points, 10 rebounds) all producing. For Philadelphia, a lineup heavy on reserves like Philon, Jameer Nelson Jr. and Rayan Rupert got extended run, while Tyrese Maxey played a limited 18.1 minutes and shot just 2-for-10. Both teams used the night to evaluate depth rather than chase a result.
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