We’re halfway through the final game of the Boston Celtics’ preseason slate and our boys are giving the WORK to the Toronto Raptors. Their one-point lead might look small, but you have to consider the egregious head start that they gave to the hosts.
Now, get ready for some halftime hot takes, buddy.
Al Horford is back and as handsome as ever
Al Hoford’s pregame interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin was the perfect way to start the viewing experience. A few minutes of that man’s beautiful eyes gracing our screens set the vibes for his preseason debut.
Al Horford had a lot of praise for Xavier Tillman, Luke Kornet, and Neemias Queta in his pregame interview with @tvabby:
“I’ve just been very impressed with the improvement with them.”
Noted Neemy’s defense, Tillman’s shot, and Luke’s energy. pic.twitter.com/RB6qcG63mA
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) October 15, 2024
The Celtics were clearly as excited as the rest of us, as they ran a play to get Horford a look on the game’s opening possession. Unfortunately, the 38-year-old wasn’t able to find the bottom of the net.
He’s clearly still getting his legs underneath him as he scored just two points this half on 1-4 from the field.
It’s okay, he’ll be back.
Watching the Celtics is significantly less fun when the opposing team decides not to miss
I mean…
What.
Was.
That?????
The Raptors, a team that was left in the dust by Boston’s second unit in the first half Sunday, were unconscious to start this one. Over the first 10 minutes, the Raps built a 24-point lead by shooting 16-22 and 10-12 from beyond the arc.
Is this how other teams feel playing against the Celtics?
It has to be… and the Raptors got a reminder of that feeling in the second quarter.
Boston responded with a 26-2 run of their own behind a barrage of threes from Payton Pritchard and eventually captured their first lead of the game.
Meanwhile, Toronto failed to sink a single three after their first-quarter onslaught.
Basketball, as they say, truly is a game of runs.
Jordan Walsh really might’ve earned rotation minutes
I know I wrote about this last game, but Jordan Walsh’s play in the preseason may have earned him some regular-season minutes. Heading into tonight’s matchup, Joe Mazzulla mentioned that the Cs would be playing the starters for a more extended period of time.
Along with this comes the assumption that the rest of the rotation would play a similar amount of minutes to what they will in the regular season. It should be noted that both Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser — both rotation players — were out tonight.
However, that doesn’t change that Walsh was the first player off of Boston’s bench tonight.
Has he done enough to enter Mazzulla’s circle of trust?
Maybe.
One thing’s for sure. The 20-year-old’s game fits the bill of a Mazzulla guy.
He defends, hustles, and has shown an ability to knock down the occasional three-ball.
So far tonight, Walshy has five points and three rebounds while shooting 1-2 from the field.
