The Boston Celtics remain undefeated this preseason after dominating the Philadelphia 76ers Monday, 113-96. Boston managed to blow out Philly at the TD Garden without its top players like Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, and Marcus Morris.
Rookie forward Semi Ojeleye led all scorers for Boston with 16 points off the bench. Abdel Nader, who was selected by the Celtics in the second-round of the 2016 NBA Draft, also surprised with 15 points. Point guard Terry Rozier had 15 points as well for the C's. The 23-year-old completed a double-double performance as he tallied 10 rebounds too.
Starters Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown contributed 12 points each for Boston. Another newcomer who emerged for the Celtics was Jabari Bird who joined the double-digit scoring club. Bird chipped in 10 points in 17 minutes of action.
It is unknown at this point if Irving or Hayward will play for the Celtics in their last game of the preseason. On Wednesday, the Celtics are ending their preseason run. They are going to rematch the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
Previous Performances
Before Kyrie Irving sat out for the Boston Celtics Monday, he showed last Friday why he is one of the best scorers in the NBA today. In the Celtics' first preseason win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Irving exploded for 21 points.
It was a bounce-back performance for him since he just had nine points in Boston's preseason opener.
If Irving already redeemed himself, Gordon Hayward is yet to do so. In two preseason games this year, Hayward recorded a total of only 14 points. The 27-year-old is struggling with his offense, and the Celtics must be worried.
Hayward's current offensive production is far from his average (21.9 ppg) for the Utah Jazz last season.
Ben Simmons shines
It is not all bad for the Philadelphia 76ers in their loss to the Boston Celtics. The defeat gave way to prized rookie Ben Simmons to show off his abilities. Simmons recorded 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two rejections in a losing effort.
Helping Simmons on the offensive end were Furkan Korkmaz and Markelle Fultz, who were both members of Philly's second unit. Korkmaz had 13 points, while Fultz added 12.
Following the Celtics, the 76ers still have two games to play this preseason. On October 11, they are heading to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to face the Brooklyn Nets. Two days later, they are going to host the Miami Heat.
