The Boston Celtics are halfway through their final preseason game, as they lead the Charlotte Hornets 66-40, which means I’m only about four hours away from playing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on the PS5.
But first…
Get ready for halftime hot takes, buddy.
The starting lineup has officially arrived
This is the second straight game where we’ve seen the group of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kristaps Porzingis open things up for the Celtics. They managed to open up a double-digit lead before Payton Pritchard checked in as the first sub of the game.
The starters played fluidly and were able to attack from all angles, with everyone getting in on the fun. All five players got themselves on the score sheet early on.
I’ll tell you what, after Tuesday’s slow start against the New York Knicks’ reserves, the early whooping that these guys put on the Hornets was a very welcome sight.
Well, is Neemias Queta the backup big man??
So, after an entire preseason of banter amongst the fanbase, Joe Mazzulla’s final call on the “first big off of the bench” was Neemias Queta. Queta, a two-way player for Boston, has put together some impressive stints in the October exhibition games.
His size and presence on the offensive glass are the more unique aspects of the Portuguese center’s game. Mazzulla had hinted that the big man had earned some extra run, earlier in the week.
“He’s earned minutes … I really liked how he’s gotten better each time he’s been on the floor.”
With Al Horford out for tonight’s game in Charlotte, Queta got his first opportunity to play with Boston’s main rotation players. He tallied two points and three rebounds — two of which were offensive.
Take your Kristaps Porzingis MVP futures NOW!
The majority of Boston’s starting five has looked tremendous so far. Brown came out on fire, scoring 18 first-half points. Tatum, White, and Porzingis all managed to crack double digits as well.
Of that group, Porzingis stuck out — as he has in every single preseason game he’s appeared in so far. The big Latvian has looked dominant, notching a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Three of those boards came on the offensive glass as he looked like a man playing against children.
Porzingis has done just about as much as he could to prove that he’s going to be an excellent fit with the Celtics — perhaps even as an MVP candidate.
