Terry Rozier experienced his debut on the parquet, and the rookie made it count in a big way. Rozier scored a team-high 16 points, making all three of his three-point attempts, with six assists, four steals and just one turnover in 27 minutes to lead the Celtics to a 111-105 preseason win over the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden.
Amir Johnson added 15 points, Kelly Olynyk 14, Jonas Jerebko 11, and Evan Turner 10. The Nets had six players in double figures, led by Bojan Bogdanovic with 18.
Boston shot 41-80 for 51.2%, including 10-25 (40%) from the three-point line. Brooklyn was 36-78 (46.1%) and 12-29 (41.3%) from deep.
Although it was an entertaining game from start to finish, there was no doubt it was a meaningless preseason contest. Neither team attempted to roll out a full complement of players. The Celtics started Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Evan Turner, Amir Johnson and Tyler Zeller. Sitting out were David Lee (strep throat), Jae Crowder (mild thumb sprain) and Isaiah Thomas (kneed in the left shin). Brad Stevens said he was taking advantage of the Celts’ depth to allow Crowder and Thomas to rest with minor ailments.
Meanwhile, Nets Jarrett Jack, Joe Johnson, Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez didn’t travel to Boston. Andrea Bargnani and Markel Brown were also not available, and Shane Larkin was a DNP.
In the first quarter, Smart filled the stat sheet with four points, three assists, two turnovers, a steal and a charge taken. Zeller and Bradley had six points each. The 6’1” Rozier drew some gasps by trying to dunk over 6’10” Justin Harper (he missed but was fouled). Rozier also stole a pass for a fast break attempt, drawing a shooting foul, then took his man off the dribble to drain a foul line jumper just before the buzzer. Boston led, 31-26.
In the second quarter, Brooklyn ran off a 12-1 burst to take a 38-32 lead. At one point they led by eight. Johnson returned to the floor and help apply some defense.
Great sequence by@IamAmirJohnson to help R.J. Hunter force ball-handler into corner, then got back defensively to deflect pass into paint. — A. Sherrod Blakely (@SherrodbCSN) October 20, 2015
However, the Nets were scoring pretty easily, and Boston held just a 59-58 lead at halftime. Zeller, Bradley and KO each posted eight points in the half; Rozier and Jerebko added seven apiece.
In the third quarter, Johnson asserted himself on offense with a personal 10-point run: a layup, two and-ones, and a twisting shot off a between-the-legs dribble. Rozier added six points and two steals in the quarter, which ended with Boston on top, 87-80.
In the fourth, Boston led by nine before Brooklyn cut it to 92-90. A smooth reverse layup by RJ Hunter was followed by two straight treys from an energized James Young (he was fouled on the second but failed to convert the four-point play). Jordan Mickey swatted a Brooklyn shot, Jerebko made a putback on the other end, and the Cs were up eight with four minutes left. Another Rozier three with two minutes left effective put it out of reach.
The Green:
- Celtics repeatedly and effectively ran backdoor cuts for layups. Best one was from Jerebko to Mickey for a windmill dunk.
- Johnson demonstrated what he brings to the offense on two consecutive early possessions, first with a post-up and rolling hook shot from the middle of the paint, followed by a three-pointer from the wing.
- Olynyk hit a couple of his step-away shots, and CSNNE ran a highlight package comparing his technique to that of one Dirk Nowitzki. (Mike Gorman: “Kelly has grown up in the last year. He was very much a kid, and he’s a man now. Now if he could just do something about that hair.”)
The Gross:
- Bradley has a goal to reduce long two-point attempts, but his first shot of the night came with both feet on the three-point line.
- Bradley and Zeller fought each other for a rebound and lost it out of bounds.
- Nets’ Rondae Hollis-Jefferson played just six minutes, calling it a night after suffering respiratory problems.
The Greenlights:
Smart with the strong follow
Turner recovers well
Rozier drains a three
The Grid:
- Points in the Paint: Nets, 32 (16/32), Celtics, 46 (23/39)
- 2nd-chance points: Nets 14 (4/8), Celtics, 19 (7/13)
- Fastbreak points: Nets, 8 (3/6), Celtics, 11 (3/8)
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