Final: Celtics 113, Sixers 96

FINAL BOX SCORE: NBA.COM

The Celtics "B" squad cruised to a 113-96 win over the Philadelphia Sixers at the TD Garden on Monday night. Semi Ojeleye led all scorers off the bench with 16 points while Terry Rozier packed the box score with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Al Horford, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving all watched from the sidelines due to rest. Aron Baynes went down with a sprained knee and did not return. Ben Simmons led the Sixers with 15 points. Boston improved to 3-0 this preseason with the win.

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THIRD QUARTER THOUGHTS (Celtics lead 87-61)

• It was Semi Ojeleye's turn to steal the show in the third quarter. The second-round pick showed some flashy offense for the first time all preseason, piling up 13 points in the frame on 4-of-5 shooting. He really showed some impressive speed in the open court on a fast break and mixing that in with his size and a promising 3-point jumper makes him another name that could challenge for big minutes at the end of the rotation.


• No Marcus Smart in the second half due to rest.


• Aron Baynes left the game with a sprained knee and he will not return. More on his status following the game.


• Terry Rozier tallied a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) before his night came to an end. Some encouraging work by Jaylen Brown on the glass (9 rebounds) as well despite a rough shooting night overall.


• I love how hard Yabusele plays from a defensive standpoint. He may not know what he's doing there yet from a scheme standpoint, but he's going to work his butt off getting up and down the floor.

• Marcus Smart may be the star of training camp to this point, but Terry Rozier is giving him a run for his money. The third-year guard was everywhere against the Sixers in the first half, tallying 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists over 20 minutes. Perhaps most encouraging was his ability to draw contact and finish around the basket. He tallied seven free throws already.


• Abdel Nader hasn't been shy with his shot attempts and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The swingman's rough shooting preseason came to a stop in the second quarter as he posted a quick 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

• Encouraging minutes from Guerschon Yabusele (5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals) after a rough start in his Garden opener last week. Same can't be said for Daniel Theis who struggled finishing around the basket (0-of-4).


•  Aron Baynes did not return to the bench after heading to the Celtics locker room late in the first quarter. Needless to say, we won't see him back on the floor tonight after he appeared to suffer some kind of leg injury.

• Jayson Tatum continues his smooth preseason by drilling an open 3 above the break to start the game and finding an open Terry Rozier on a drive into the paint.


• The price on Marcus Smart continues to go up this preseason. He's playing off the ball mostly with Terry Rozier running the point to start the game but he continues to make an impact all over the floor. He found Tatum from the post for a wide-open 3 and then challenged Jahlil Okafor at the rim on a drive and finished over him. Those were the kinds of plays he couldn't finish last year so it's critical he continues to improve in that department.


• How about this for balance? Celtics started the game with 16 points in the first five minutes and all five starters all tallied points and assists.


• Early impressions of Markelle Fultz: He can get to the rim with ease. Explosiveness is going to be there. Six early points for him off the bench in just three minutes of action.


• Shane Larkin, Daniel Theis and Guerschon Yabusele all are seeng early minutes off the pine with Jaylen Brown and Smart.


• Nice ovation for former Celtic Amir Johnson in his return to the Garden when he checked in during the first quarter.


• Eight of nine Celtics scored during the team's 37-point first quarter.


• Marcus Smart is now shooting 57 percent in the preseason (7-of-12) after starting the first quarter 2-of-3 from deep. That's a strong increase from his first three preseasons when he shot 25, 27 and 13 percent respectively.

• Brad Stevens is hoping to build some chemistry with the majority of his second unit by giving them the start tonight: “I think it’s two fold," Stevens said of his motivation. "Number one is we had a good workout this morning with them and were able to focus just solely on us which is really good. And then it also gives our – some of those guys will be in the second unit together and it gives them a chance to play extended minutes which is good. And then obviously it gives other guys a chance to play. So I feel really good about where we are considering we’re 13 days in. I don’t think we’re by any means a finished product and I think we can get better. But we’ll play the way we’re playing tonight and then tomorrow we’ll travel, Wednesday we’ll play everybody that’s available.”


• Stevens is very impressed by Jayson Tatum's defense thus far, continuing a trend that started in summer league: "I mean, I think I've been -- I don't know if surprised is the right word -- but Jayson Tatum's defense is beyond his years. He's very savvy and very long. He uses his length. His arms are out and he gets his hands on balls and deflects passes and discourages drives just because of his length. I think he'll continue to get better and better with the other stuff systemically, but he's done a good job for a young guy so far."


• In the wake of a lengthy contract extension for Sixers center Joel Embiid, head coach Brett Brown raved about his 23-year-old big man and the promise that lies ahead: "He is a difference maker," Brown said. "I’ve been lucky in my Spurs life to anoint others in that category. You don’t give up that tag freely. He has a chance to be great. He has a chance to be great. There’s still a lot of work to be done. When you look at his body of work, only playing 31 games – really, he’s only been playing basketball for six years. And he’s 23. He’s just scratching the surface. He does things on the court that remind me of somebody who is able to hear music and just play the song. He will study Duncan, or study KD, or another player and all of a sudden there’s a little bit of that in part of his game. He’s very unique."