The Boston Celtics were in North Carolina to play the Charlotte Hornets in their final preseason contest of 2023-24, but it looked like someone forgot to give the Celtics the memo that the game did not count. Boston shellacked the Hornets, 127-99, even though it used its deep bench players.
Blowing out Charlotte on a night Boston set a franchise record for single-game steals (22) the starters may have led the way, but the bench was outstanding as well. Jaylen Brown led the team with 20 points. Derrick White (15 points), Kristaps Porzingis (14 points, 12 rebounds), Jayson Tatum (11 points, 6 boards, 7 assists, and 3 steals) and Jrue Holiday (11 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals) made big contributions.
Off the bench, Neemias Queta (12 points, 7 boards) wowed in just 13 minutes of game time, with help from Lamar Stevens (12 points) and Payton Pritchard, who dished 8 assists on a rare night his shot wasn’t falling (0-of-3 from deep).
Celtics Lab 222: Boston vs. everyone – assessing NBA over/unders for 2023-24 with Souichi Terada https://t.co/N60pMrp7mh
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 19, 2023
The Celtics next play on Oct. 25 against the New York Knicks in their season opener at Madison Square Garden.
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