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The Celtics shined in their preseason home opener, beating the Sixers 139-89

The Celtics shined in their preseason home opener, beating the Sixers 139-89

Oct. 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers guard Ricky Council IV (14) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory attribution: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics played their first preseason home game on Saturday evening and secured a huge 139-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philadelphia played the night before at Iowa, an exhibition in Sixers head coach Nick Nurse’s home state. Therefore, Philly played no starters in this game. Boston, on the other hand, had a nearly full roster, and since it was the first game at TD Garden since winning the NBA title last June, the Celtics’ crowd was loud and engaged from the start. To say it was a one-sided affair would be an understatement. Even Boston’s bench did their best in the second half and secured an emphatic, if meaningless, victory.

Here’s a breakdown of what we saw from the Celtics’ 139-89 home win over the 76ers in the preseason.

The first quarter

Boston’s starters didn’t exactly start the game at full throttle, but the talent imbalance quickly took its toll. The Celtics were simply better and more rested than the Sixers and led 40-18 after the first quarter.

Luke Kornet was a big part of the story. With Kristaps Porzingis out due to injury and Al Horford taking things slow this preseason, Kornet was part of the usual starting lineup. He didn’t disappoint us.

Kornet gave Boston a strong showdown down low, and the former Vanderbilt Commodores tallied 15 points and 8 rebounds in limited action.

The second quarter

The Celtics got an early look at rookie Baylor Scheierman and the rest of the bench in the second frame, although head coach Joe Mazzulla continued to play with his starters most of the way.

Therefore, the Sixers didn’t have much of a chance to take the lead from the home team. It didn’t help Philadelphia’s cause that Boston shot 10 of 23 from deep in the first half.

Oct. 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward KJ Martin (1) attempts a basket against Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory attribution: Brian Fluharty-Imagn ImagesOct. 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward KJ Martin (1) attempts a basket against Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory attribution: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Oct. 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward KJ Martin (1) attempts a basket against Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory attribution: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The third quarter

Boston’s standout stars also played early in the third period. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each attacked with relative ease before taking the lead for good midway through the quarter.

Tatum finished the game with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in 23 minutes. Brown scored 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

The fourth quarter

The Celtics bench took the reins for the remainder of the game, successfully keeping the Sixers from making things interesting and instead burying Philadelphia.

We thank Xavier Tillman Sr. for his role in this. As always, he played stingy defense. But more importantly, he shot 3 of 3 from distance with 11 points and 7 rebounds. This might prove to be the biggest takeaway of the entire evening.

Boston is back at the Garden for another game tomorrow night. The Celtics host the Toronto Raptors for their penultimate preseason game.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: The Celtics defeated the Sixers 139-89 in their preseason home opener