Blake Griffin has solid C’s debut in preseason win over Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It wasn’t a 41-point blowout, but the Boston Celtics completed their preseason sweep of the Charlotte Hornets with a win on Friday night.
The C’s bounced back from a sloppy first quarter and erased a 16-point deficit to take down Charlotte at Spectrum Center, 112-103. They shot 19-for-44 (43.2 percent) from 3-point range to improve to 3-1 in the preseason.
Forsberg: Jays would trade individual accolades for Banner 18
LeMelo Ball and Kelly Oubre Jr. were bright spots for the Hornets with 23 and 18 points, respectively. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 19 points in 25 minutes and looks ready for regular-season action. Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, and Malcolm Brogdon had the night off.
Here are our takeaways from the Celtics’ victory. They’ll wrap up the preseason in Toronto next Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The sight of Blake Griffin in Celtics Green will take some getting used to. C’s fans started to get acclimated on Friday night as the six-time All-Star made his debut for Boston.
Griffin wasn’t throwing down dunks as he did in his heyday, but he still made an impact in the win. He made his presence felt with a 3 late in the second quarter and entered the half with seven points and four rebounds in nine minutes.
Griffin ended up with seven points, nine rebounds, and two assists in 16 minutes. He also did some positive things that don’t make an appearance in the box score, like setting this screen on a Jaylen Brown 3-pointer in the third quarter:
If this is what Celtics fans can expect to get from Griffin in the regular season, they’ll certainly take it.
Brown led the team in points, but Derrick White was the star for the Celtics on Friday night. He was outstanding on both ends of the floor with 15 points (5-8 FG), five assists, two rebounds and a steal at the half. He finished with 18 points, six assists, four rebounds, and added two blocks for good measure in 24 minutes.
White’s jumper has looked sharp so far in the preseason. If he can carry that into the regular season, it’ll go a long way toward helping the Celtics bench get to where it needs to be,
Noah Vonleh states case for roster spot
It sure seems like Noah Vonleh is on track to make the Celtics’ final 15-man roster.
The Haverhill, Mass. native got the start at center on Friday and made the most of his opportunity. He notched a double-double with 14 points (6-8 FG) and most importantly, 13 boards.
With Robert Williams out to begin the season, Boston needs someone to step up and clean the glass. With his performance this preseason, Vonleh has made his case that he is the man for the job.
A better night for Celtics’ bench
Boston’s reserves failed to hold on to a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s preseason loss to the Toronto Raptors. The bench was much-improved on Friday night.
After a rocky first half, Justin Jackson was on fire. The UNC product drilled four 3-pointers — including three straight — en route to a 16-point performance. He also got the bench fired up with this emphatic block and staredown.
Payton Pritchard stepped up alongside Jackson to seal the Celtics victory. He ended up with 15 points (6-15 FG, 3-8 3PT) and seven assists in 27 minutes.
