Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics Opening Night Win vs. Sixers

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 35 points apiece, the Celtics controlled the pace of play in the second half, and Joe Mazzulla got a win in his first regular-season game as an NBA head coach.

Bobby Krivitsky

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
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After James Harden controlled the pace of play for much of the first quarter, the Celtics guarded him tighter, limited him to one free throw in the final three quarters, and even though Joel Embiid scored 26 points, Boston's double teams kept him in check, too.

And with the Celtics limiting turnovers (11) and second-chance opportunities for Philadelphia, the hosts were able to play up-tempo in the second half, seizing control of the game.

Now, for a deep dive into Boston's 126-117 win on opening night. 

Boston Starts Fast, but Slowed by James Harden Controlling the Pace

While the Celtics gave up an offensive rebound on the game's first possession, a consistent problem during the preseason without Robert Williams out there to help limit opponents to one shot, Boston came out with tremendous energy.

The Celtics raced out to a 9-2 lead, with seven points belonging to Jayson Tatum, including knocking down a corner three and running on the fast break after Marcus Smart stripped Joel Embiid, leading to a Tatum layup.

The Celtics' star also came from over the top to swat a Tyrese Maxey layup attempt.

Managing Al Horford's minutes, Joe Mazzulla subbed the veteran big man at the 8:14 mark, bringing in Noah Vonleh. Vonleh quickly got called for tripping Joel Embiid -- crafty work by the latter to draw the foul.

While Vonleh brought energy to the floor, contending with Embiid and competing on the glass, a sloppy exchange on a dribble handoff to Tatum as he set the second half of a staggered screen led to a turnover and a take foul from Jaylen Brown that produced a James Harden free throw.

Grant Williams quickly made an impact once he checked in, showing off his improved ability off the dribble, driving baseline out of the left corner for a layup that cut Boston's deficit to 15-13 with 5:40 remaining.

Brown gave the Celtics the lead again shortly after that with a thunderous transition dunk.

Blake Griffin received a loud ovation from the TD Garden faithful when he entered the game for the first time with 3:39 remaining in the opening frame.

Griffin grabbed two offensive rebounds on his first possession -- granted, one was tipped to him by Grant Williams -- but Boston had nothing to show for it.

When the period ended, the Sixers held a 29-24 advantage. An abundance of whistles made it challenging for either side to stay in rhythm or play up-tempo. That hurt the Celtics more than the visitors.

In ten minutes, Tatum produced eight points, including a pair of strong takes to the basket that got him to the free-throw line, where he went 3/4.

While Brown's known for fast starts, he registered four points on 2/8 shooting and had two turnovers. Grant Williams looked sharp, though, contributing five points off the bench, including a three from his corner office.

Harden led all scorers with 16 points, including going 8/8 at the free-throw line, drawing multiple fouls from beyond the arc. The Celtics, quick to double Embiid, held him to one point on two shots. He also picked up two fouls.

Jaylen Brown Finds His Rhythm, Celtics and Sixers in a Stalemate at Halftime

Malcolm Brogdon was quiet in the first frame but quickly made his presence felt in the second. Boston's new sixth man generated six points in 1:30, including a pair of layups.

At the 6:21 mark, Harden again capitalized on the Celtics giving him too much space, drilling a three in front of Al Horford to put Philadelphia ahead 45-43. Playing off him has led to Harden finding and sustaining his rhythm from the early going and controlling the pace by creating fouls from contesting his shot late.

With 3:32 remaining, after Embiid stumbled while trying to attack Vonleh in the low post, Tatum went strong to the rim in transition, generating an old-school three-point play to trim the deficit to 55-53.

About a minute later, after Harden shook Smart off him, shoulder shimmied, but badly bricked a three from the left slot, Tatum again attacked the basket, finishing with a reverse layup that brought the crowd to life and cut the Sixers' lead to 58-57.

That sparked an aggressive approach from Brown, as he capitalized on a pair of jump shots from seven feet.

Harden responded with a difficult step-back three from 29 feet to tie the game at 61, and after a Montrezl Harrell dunk and two free throws from Smart, the Celtics and Sixers entered halftime tied at 63.

Brown led Boston with 18 points on 7/14 shooting at the break. Tatum had 16, converting on five of his nine field goals, adding five points on seven free throws. The hosts also got a boost from Brogdon, who went into halftime with ten points.

Collectively, the Celtics shot 54.8 percent from the field, assisting on 12/23 field goals. Their aggressive approach also led to 30 points in the paint and going 13/16 at the charity stripe (81.3 percent).

Two other significant factors in Boston overcoming its defensive struggles while Philadelphia shot 50 percent from the field and 9/20 (45 percent) on threes is the Celtics only had five turnovers, limiting the Sixers to two fast break points. Even Philadelphia's nine directly off giveaways is a number Boston will live with, especially with their struggles taking care of the ball.

The Celtics also held the Sixers to four offensive rebounds and five second-chance points.

Harden led all scorers at halftime with 22 points on 5/9 shooting, drilling 4/7 threes. However, he didn't attempt a free throw in the second quarter. Embiid entered the break with 11 points and six rebounds.

Boston needs to play tighter to Harden, who utilized the space afforded to him to stay in rhythm from beyond the arc and create fouls that helped Philadelphia control the pace and slow the game down in the first half.

The Jays Seize Control in the Third Frame

The second half quickly turned chippy as Smart's arm got caught in-between Embiid's shoulder and his torso, and the latter resolved that by yanking his shoulder away, sending Smart to the floor in pain. Smart got up and confronted Embiid, and Brown got involved, knocking the Sixers' center over, perhaps with some embellishing from Embiid. The result was a foul and a technical on Smart. However, it was also a nice demonstration of comradery on Brown's part.

At the 10:14 mark, Derrick White produced his first basket of the game, a 16-foot jump shot that came with a foul on Maxey. White then pumped up the crowd afterward. It was only his second shot of the game, but Boston needs him to continue with the aggressive approach he displayed throughout the preseason.

The Celtics' top-two players took it from there, scoring the team's following ten points with the exception of a Smart free throw. Tatum drilled a pair of jump shots and continued his aggressive approach en route to matching Harden for a game-high nine free throws. There was also another thunderous throwdown from Brown.

Starting at the 4:45 mark with a Tatum layup, Boston ripped off an 8-0 run, including threes by Tatum and Smart, to build a 90-78 lead and send the crowd into a frenzy.

As a result of scoring 35 points in the third quarter while holding the Sixers to 25, the Celtics took a 98-88 advantage into the final frame.

Boston Handles Business in the Fourth Quarter

Sam Hauser got his first run of the game at the start of the fourth quarter. It's not easy to come in cold that late, and he quickly picked up a foul trying to stay with Maxey. That led to two free throws from the Kentucky alum, cutting Boston's lead to 98-90.

At the 9:57 mark, De'Anthony Melton came to meet Brogdon as he brought the ball over half court, and the latter went right by him for a layup to make it 103-94. Brogdon consistently gets downhill and into the paint. Melton found out the hard way.

Less than a minute later, Brown stepped in front of a lazy bounce pass by Embiid, went right at the Sixers' center, and laid it in to extend Boston's advantage to 105-94.

With 6:35 remaining, White found Williams, who also attacked Embiid and came away with two points. The difference was it also produced Embiid's fourth foul. Williams added the tax and gave the Celtics a 115-102 lead.

Extended runs for Vonleh, including staying in until there was 4:57 left, stood out. Vonleh had his ups and downs but competed hard and gave Boston important minutes off the bench, including functioning alongside Horford.

At the 3:22 mark Brown drilled a three off the catch from the left wing to push the Celtics' advantage to 118-103. With Philadelphia hanging around, that was a big shot to give Boston more breathing room.

With 1:26 to go, Tatum skipped a cross-court pass to Brown, sending the ball from the right wing to the left wing, and Brown knocked down another long-range attempt to give the hosts a 126-110 lead.

Those triples helped Boston close out a 126-117 opening night win.

Up Next

The Celtics travel to Miami to face the Heat on Friday. The game tips off at 7:30 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Grant Williams on Not Getting a Contract Extension from Celtics: 'it doesn't mean that a deal won't get done in the future'

Robert Williams Undergoes PRP Injection That May Delay His Season Debut

Regular Season, But Neither Side at Fault

Malcolm Brogdon Explains Why He Chose Celtics Over Eastern Conference Rival

Should the Celtics Trade for Jae Crowder?

Published
Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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