Bench-heavy Celtics beat Cleveland 124-113 in the preseason opener
Eight rotation players sat. Luka Garza had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Devin Carter's 17 came with a plus-22.
Boston opened its preseason with a 124-113 win in Cleveland, and it did it without eight of its regulars. Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Mitchell Robinson, Neemias Queta and Ron Harper Jr. all sat out as a coach's decision, so the game was a look at the back half of the roster.
Luka Garza started at center and led the way with 22 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes, going 7 of 8 at the line. Devin Carter, who is in camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, scored 17 on 5-of-9 shooting and a perfect 6 for 6 at the line, and Boston outscored Cleveland by 22 points with him on the floor.
Baylor Scheierman (16 points, 4-of-7 from three), Jordan Walsh (16) and Hugo Gonzalez (15 points, five assists) rounded out a starting group that also included Mike Conley, who played 18 minutes and had four assists. Two-way player Dillon Mitchell added 10 points and 9 rebounds, and rookie Chris Cenac Jr. had 8 rebounds and 4 blocks, though he shot 3 of 13.
The numbers behind it
Boston shot 41% overall (41 of 99) and 36% from three (17 of 47), and made 25 of 35 free throws. The real edge was on the glass, where the Celtics outrebounded Cleveland 56 to 39. The costs were 16 turnovers to Cleveland's 11 and a 62-42 deficit in points in the paint.
What it does and doesn't tell us
- It was one preseason game with most of the rotation out, so none of it settles a rotation spot.
- The center question is still open. Garza played the starter's minutes, while Queta and Robinson didn't play.
- Several camp players made a case for a roster or two-way spot. That's the storyline to watch over the next three games.