Five takeaways after the Celtics defeated the Sixers 110-102 at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night.
1) Jayson Tatum looked comfortable with the starters: It’s not going to happen to start the season, but Tatum was in a groove for most of the night when sharing the floor with the starters. With elite offensive talent surrounding him, the rookie was an afterthought for the Sixers on most possessions. The Duke product took advantage of that strategy immediately. He started the game 3-of-3 from the field with a pullup jumper and a nice post up mixed in. He didn’t force the action, but he was aggressive with his shot when the ball found him in good situations. Perhaps most importantly, Tatum held his own on the defensive end. The Sixers were without a lot of firepower (no Saric or Embiid) but Tatum looked comfortable guarding fellow rookie Ben Simmons and did a respectable job switching onto guards as well. He finished the night with 9 points and 5 rebounds, but the coaching staff has to feel more confident in the 19-year-old after this performance.
2) Kyrie Irving lit it up for one quarter: After a pretty pedestrian Celtic debut on Monday night, the All-Star point guard found his shooting groove in the third quarter of this preseason matchup. The 25-year-old went 4-of-4 from the field (3-of-3 from 3-point range) to tally 10 of his 21 points in the first eight minutes of the frame, as he feasted on a lackluster Sixers defense. Irving settled for a couple contested jumpers in the first half as well but he’s made a point of staying unselfish with his new teammates and the six-year veteran showed off a nice passing touch as well on the break here too.
Kyrie showing off some of his passing ability with a nice lead to Horford on the break here. pic.twitter.com/YQZUStspej
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) October 7, 2017
