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Three Takeaways: Celtics 105, 76ers 87

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Boston Celtics basketball is back.

The first game of the regular season for the Boston Celtics did not disappoint. Both teams got off to a slow start, but Boston was able to pull away heading into the fourth quarter and didn’t look back. By the end of the game, the entire team was firing on all cylinders.

Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from game 1 of 82.

Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics during a game on October 16 2018 at TD Garden in...

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1. Kyrie Irving off to a slow start

Though the Celtics pulled off the win, Kyrie’s absence on the offensive end was notable. In the first half, Irving didn’t score a single point, going 0-8 from the field. He finished going just 2-14 from the field for 7 points. That included one two, one three, and two free throws. Fortunately, the rest of the team was able to pick up the slack on the offensive end. Hopefully, Kyrie can get his scoring swagger back in time for Friday’s tilt.

However, he did finish with seven assists, and was also a +9 plus/minus, so his performance wasn’t poor. It’s unlikely this scoring relapse will carry over into the next games.

2. Jayson Tatum leads the charge

While Kyrie struggled from the field, Jayson Tatum was the leader on the offensive end of the court. He finished with a game-high 23 points on 9-17 shooting from the field. He also looked at times to be the commander of the court, often times serving as the primary ball-handler.

Tatum had a number of sweet pull-ups, and a beautiful drive and dunk, as well. Near the end of the game, he also took Joel Embiid to school on a free throw line jumper. The NBA sophomore looked confident on the court, and it showed in the box score.

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics dunks the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 16 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston Massachusetts NOTE TO...

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3. Defense looks as strong as ever

The staple of the Boston Celtics looks to be the same as ever: defense. Boston was able to hold Philly to just 87 points in the opener. They also forced 16 turnovers, including 10 in the first half alone. Leading the defensive effort was Al Horford, who had 5 blocks and affected multiple other shots at the rim.

It’s obvious that the defense won’t be an issue this season, as if that were ever a question.

Bonus: Gordon Hayward!

The forward made his Celtic debut at the TD Garden, playing 24 minutes and scoring 10 points. While it wasn’t the greatest performance, it was most certainly encouraging to see him back on the court scoring buckets.

Gordon Hayward high fives Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics during a game against ethics's Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on October 16 2018 in...

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An emphatic performance in the season opener was surely an awesome sight for Boston Celtics fans. They’ll look to keep the momentum going on Friday against the Toronto Raptors in Canada.

Three Takeaways: Celtics 115, Hornets 112

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The Celtics came out with a win in their 2nd preseason game.

The team returned to the TD Garden to take on the Charlotte Hornets. Boston was without Al Horford for the game, who was dealing with a wrist injury. The team, having faced the Hornets on Friday, jumped out to a 64-57 halftime lead. After a mediocre first quarter, the Celtics went for 40 points in the second. The game stayed competitive through the third quarter, with the Celtics unable to pull away. The Hornets took the lead with around 6 and a half minutes remaining the game, and the score remained neck and neck until the very end, when Boston was able to pull away. Here are some key takeaways from Sunday’s game.

1. Boston turns it around from deep, succeeds on free throws

After a poor first game in terms of three-point shooting, the Celtics were able to flip the script. On Friday, the team shot an atrocious 9-47 from deep, for just 19%. Sunday night, however, was a much different story. The team finished with far fewer attempts from deep, going 13-31 on the night. The much higher percentage (42%) was a welcome sight. Also notable was the success from behind the free throw line. Boston converted 18 of 21 attempts from the stripe, a great sign for the regular season.

2. Tatum, Irving shine

Both Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving stood out in Sunday’s game. After a scoreless first quarter, Tatum caught fire in the second quarter, scoring 13 points in three minutes. That spurt included 3 three-pointers and a ferocious alley-oop jam from Terry Rozier. He finished with 16 points and 4 boards in 19 minutes of play.

Irving also had a standout game against Charlotte. He contributed his usual scoring total and made multiple eye-catching passes to set up scores for others. He’ll benefit this year from not always having to be the team’s number one scoring option. It’ll leave him more room to make plays and facilitate the offense. Irving finished with 20/4/3 in 29 minutes.

3. Williams shows flashes of potential

The rookie Robert Williams showed a lot of intriguing play in the game on Sunday. Williams had a nice dunk inside and was extremely active on both ends of the floor. Most notably, he set a lot of good screens on offense and freed up a lot of space on that end. Williams also had a clutch block in the closing seconds of the game to secure the win. He finished with 5 points, a board and an assist, as well as the aforementioned block. Though the numbers aren’t the most gaudy, it was certainly a nice performance that could help redeem him in the eyes of some fans.

Bonus: Marcus Smart is back

Good to see ya, buddy.

Boston will take the floor next on Tuesday night, when the Lebron-less Cavaliers come to the Garden. Horford is hopeful to return to action that night against the new look Cleveland team. The NBA season keeps getting closer and closer!