The Celtics once again face one of the teams that they beat in this year’s playoffs on their way to the NBA Finals. The Celtics first Summer League game was a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bucks are a rematch of the Celtics second round matchup that the Celtics won in 7 games.
The Bucks are 1-0 in Las Vegas Summer League after a 94-90 win over the Nets on Friday. The Celtics are 0-1 in Summer League after an 88-78 loss to the Heat on Saturday. Unlike the Heat, the Bucks did not participate in the Utah or California Summer Leagues and so this is just the 2nd game for both teams.
The Bucks scored 94 points in their first game while the Celtics managed just 78 points in their first game. The Bucks shot very well, shooting 48.4% from the field and 51.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics struggled, shooting just 35.4% from the field and 31.4% from beyond the arc. Both teams turned the ball over too much with the Celtics having 20 turnovers and the Bucks turning it over 18 times.
As with every Summer League, it’s difficult to predict a starting lineup as coaches are looking to try different lineups and combination of players and they want to get an idea of what each player brings to the table. I’ve listed the starters from their previous games but there is a good chance that the coaches choose to use different starters for this game.
Celtics Roster
JD Davison 20
Juhann Begarin 45
Trevion Williams 50
Jordan Bone 51
Mfiondu Kabengele 24
AJ Reeves 41
Brodric Thomas 97
Matt Ryan 37
Sam Hauser 30
Jericole Hellems 29
Bryton Hobbs 55
Aubrey Dawkins 38
Robert Franks 43
Previous Game Starters
JD Davison
Juhann Begarin
Sam Hauser
Brodric Thomas
Mfiondu Kabengele
Head Coach
Ben Sullivan
Players to Watch
JD Davison
Davison has a strong start to Summer League with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in the Celtics’ loss to the heat on Saturday. He shot just 27.3% from the field but 40% from beyond the arc. He signed a contract for a two way spot with the Celtics but will be looking to try to earn a spot on the roster with a strong showing here in Summer League.
Mfiondu Kabengele
Kabengele started at center in Saturday’s game and had a solid showing with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. He was a lob target and was active on defense. With the Celtics need for a back up big, he and Trevion Williams will have a chance to impress the team and earn a roster spot or a two way contract.
Sam Hauser
Hauser didn’t have a great first game in Vegas. He finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He shot just 2-12 from the field and 1-9 from beyond the arc. He’s the only player on this team with a guaranteed spot on the roster as he just signed a new 3 year contract with the team. We know he can shoot and he needs to take this opportunity to show the Celtics that he is ready for a spot in the rotation this season.
Bucks Roster
MarJon Beauchamp 0
Luca Vildoza 6
Timothy Soares 12
Iverson Molinar 15
Hugo Besson 17
Sylvain Francisco 18
Evans Ganapamo 19
AJ Green 20
Dewan Hernandez 26
Lindell Wigginton 28
Marcus Graves 31
Dusty Hannahs 38 Matthew Hurt 42
Zylan Cheatham 45
Sandro Mamukelashvili 54
Rayjon Tucker 59
Previous Game Starters
Luca Vildoza
Rajon Tucker
MarJon Beauchamp
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Dewan Hernandez
Head Coach
Vin Baker
Players to Watch
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MarJon Beauchamp
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
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Sandro Mamukelashvili
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
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Lindell Wigginton
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
MarJon Beauchamp
Beauchamp started the first Summer League game for the Bucks and finished with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Bucks will look for him to play well for them once again in this game.
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili finished the Bucks win over the Nets with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He shot 50% from the field and 80% from beyond the arc (4-5).
Lindell Wigginton
Wigginton finished the Bucks win over the Nets with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He shot 66.7% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game
Shooting – The Celtics will be looking for players who can shoot from the outside and also who can finish at the basket. Sam Hauser will look to shoot much better than he did in the first game. The Celtics need to shoot better than 35% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc if they hope to beat a Bucks team that shot 51% from beyond the arc in their first game.
Defense – The Celtics put a premium on playing defense and they will be looking to see which Summer Celtics fit that mold. Defense is always a key to winning, whether in the Summer League, in the regular season, or in the playoffs. The Summer Celtics need to step up on the defensive end and slow down the Bucks high percentage shooters.
Take Care of the Ball – The Celtics turned the ball over 20 times in their loss to the Heat. The Bucks turned the ball over 18 times in their win over the Nets. Turnovers can be expected from teams that have only been together a short time but cleaning these up can go a long way toward getting a win.
X-Factors
It’s Summer League – Both of these teams have been pretty much cobbled together from undrafted players, end of bench players, and G-League players. They have had limited practice time for the most part and so it’s hard to tell how each team will play and which teams will dominate. Each of these players is trying to make an impression on the coaches and GM’s that are watching and so we may see a lot of hero ball. Watching for individual improvement in players is probably the best way to watch these games.
