Kyrie finds his rhythm, Gordon Hayward's rust, and more takeaways from the Celtics' win over Hornets taken at TD Garden (Celtics)

(Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

A collection of takeaways from the TD Garden after the Celtics defeated the Hornets 115-112 on Sunday night in their second preseason matchup.

BOX SCORE

1.  Kyrie Irving worked overtime and looked good doing it: The All-Star point guard played a game-high 29 minutes in his second game back on the court following knee surgery and it’s been a smooth transition back thus far. The 26-year-old led the hosts in both points (20) and assists (four) to pace a high-powered offensive attack for the regulars that produced 60-plus first-half points in the second-straight game despite the absence of Al Horford (sore wrist). The mix of finishing and creating for others is a skill the C’s desperately missed last postseason and his absence and Irving appears to have all of his moves back already despite the preseason being less than a week old.










2. Gordon Hayward’s still rusty and it’s going to take some time to get right:
Brad Stevens










3. Rob Williams turns some heads:
Malik Monk
Guerschon Yabusele










4. The defense needs some work:




5. The bench unit plus Jayson Tatum is going to be a headache for opponents:
Terry Rozier
Marcus Morris
Marcus Smart

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