Charlotte Hornets' Nick Richards (4) is trapped by Boston Celtics' Brodric Thomas, left, and Blake Griffin during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)AP
It was a lot more competitive of a game between the Celtics and Hornets, unlike the blowout win Boston put together in the preseason opener. While Charlotte sprinted ahead early to a 16-point lead in the first quarter, the Celtics quickly made it a game then ran away from the Hornets themselves. The Celtics beat up the Hornets 112-103 in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday to improve to 2-1 in the preseason.
This is the preseason, so most of the starters got the night off. Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Al Horford all didn’t play Friday. All four of them did get heftier workloads Wednesday against the Raptors as the starters looked cohesive during their time together on the court.
Blake Griffin did make his Celtics debut Friday after officially signing with the team earlier this week. The big man will wear No. 91 with the C’s and will shore the team’s front court depth.
The Celtics wrap up preseason action a week later in an Oct. 14 road game against the Raptors. That game will take place in Montreal, Canada.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win over the Hornets:
Starter minutes: While the quartet of starters didn’t play Friday, two main rotation players did suit up in Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Brown played more than expected as he finished with 25 minutes, scoring 19 points on 6-for-14 shooting (5-for-8 on 3s). White finished with 24 minutes, 18 points and six assists as he impressed as a lead guard.
Griffin debut: The plan wasn’t for the newly-acquired Griffin to play too many minutes Friday, and that was the case Friday as he played 16 minutes. There were some bright spots as Griffin put up seven points and nine rebounds, though he only shot 1-for-6 from the field. But the Griffin era is officially underway in Boston. Of course, the Celtics don’t need him to be an All-Star, but instead a solid veteran depth option.
Who stepped up: With four starters sitting Friday, that meant more of an opportunity for the bench players to see more minutes. White was perhaps the primary benefactor as he looked smooth when on the court. Payton Pritchard added 15 points as he was unafraid to shoot.
Justin Jackson had a nice-bounce performance after Wednesday as he scored 16 points on 6-for-14 shooting, adding a nice block at the end of the third quarter that got the Celtics bench hyped up. Noah Vonleh put up solid numbers with 14 points and 13 rebounds, though there were some defensive miscues along with his four turnovers.
More turnovers: The Celtics struggled immensely Sunday in their first game against the Hornets as the turnovers piled up. That was a similar case early Friday as the Celtics had nine turnovers in the first quarter. While the C’s calmed down after the brutal early showing, they finished with 19 turnovers Friday. That’ll be an area they’ll look to clean up during the season as that was also an issue during their NBA Finals run last season.
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