Boston beat Cleveland 124-113 in its preseason opener without George, Tatum, White, Hauser, Harper Jr., Pritchard, Robinson or Queta, all held out day-to-day for rest or undisclosed issues. Luka Garza scored 22 on 6-of-17 shooting and Devin Carter posted a game-best plus-22 in 25 bench minutes.
The win came without most of the regulars.
George, Tatum, White, Hauser, Harper Jr., Pritchard, Robinson and Queta were all listed day-to-day for rest or undisclosed issues ahead of the opener, with return dates pointing to Saturday against Philadelphia. Boston.com's Conor Ryan reported that Joe Mazzulla did not coach from the bench either. What took the floor instead read closer to a camp roster than the one built around George and Tatum this summer.
Garza's 22 points took volume, not efficiency.
He went 6-for-17 from the field and 3-for-10 from three, needing 17 shots to get there, and only 7-of-8 from the line kept the line flattering. Ten rebounds, three blocks and zero turnovers in 27 minutes are the steadier numbers in it.
Carter did more with less attention.
Devin Carter scored 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 25 bench minutes and finished plus-22, the best mark either team produced. Jordan Walsh logged almost the same minutes and finished minus-13, same game, opposite outcome.
The real roster shows up Saturday, not before.
Philadelphia visits October 10, assuming the rest cases clear on schedule, then Charlotte on the 14th and a rematch at Philadelphia on the 16th before the opener at Detroit on October 20. Nothing from Thursday tells Mazzulla much about how November will look.
Did the Celtics starters play against the Cavaliers?
No. Eight regulars, George, Tatum, White, Hauser, Harper Jr., Pritchard, Robinson and Queta, were held out as day-to-day rest cases, and Joe Mazzulla did not coach from the bench, per Boston.com.
Who led the Celtics in their preseason opener?
Luka Garza led with 22 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes, and Devin Carter added 17 points with a game-best plus-22 in 25 minutes off the bench.
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