Final: Celtics 96, Sixers 82 -- Edwards, Williams lead C's to victory in summer league opener

LAS VEGAS -- The Celtics started their 2019 summer league campaign on a winning night on Saturday night, recovering from a 9-0 hole out of the gate to cruise past the Sixers for a 96-82 victory. Carsen Edwards led all scorers with 19 points while Robert Williams flirted with a double-double (9 points, 9 rebounds) and Grant Edwards added 12 points. The Celtics improved to 1-0 in summer league action with an off-day looming on Sunday. They will be back in action on Monday night against the Cavs at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

A quick look at the who the studs and duds of the performance.

TWO UP

Carsen Edwards:  The guard was not shy with his shot and made the most of it in a 20-point performance. He walked the line nicely between finding his opportunities and avoiding bad shot selection. Defensively, he held his own as well, working hard to get around screens and stay in front of his man. Most of his damage (13 points) came in the first half, but there was a lot to like about the debut.

Grant Williams: It took him roughly seven minutes to move ahead of Yabusele on the Celtics depth chart. He scored 12 points on an efficient 4-of-7 from the field, but it was his defense, strength and intangibles that stuck out the most. He made the right play and threw his body around, which led to a huge run when he came into the game for Boston midway through the second half. The Celtics frontcourt is going to need someone like him and he showed promising signs in Game 1 here that he will be up to the task.

TWO DOWN

Guerschon Yabusele: One of the toughest nights in a Celtic uniform for the third-year forward. He should be dominating players in this setting based on this experience but he looked overmatched down low against the Sixers bigs. He went scoreless in 16 minutes, including a couple of blocks at the rim. His roster spot was already in danger for the start of next season and he did himself no favors with this performance.

 Tremont Waters' shooting: The second round pick did a lot of encouraging things in his first start, including showing plenty of hustle on the defensive end. Finishing in the NBA is going to be a problem though at 5-foot-11 and that was showcased in this debut (3-of-13 from the field).

First Half Notes

• Celtics come out of the gate looking very sluggish with a 9-0 hole.


• Guerschon Yabusele really struggling in the post and on a couple isolation possessions. Not a strong start to his chances of making the roster.


• Robert Wiliams showing off some decent ballhandling and passing skills for his size.


• Carsen Edwards is not shy at all about getting shots up. He's got a team-high 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting and making the most of any window of opportunity to get points. He's opened 4-of-9 from downtown as well, showing a quick release off the dribble.


• Tremont Waters with some nice playmaking as a point guard. He struggles at the rim due to his size but he has a good feel with the ball. Makes the right pass, plays with tough effort on D.


• Grant Williams came off the bench behind Yabusele but that won't last for long. He looks like one of the stronger bodies on the floor and is throwing his wait around well. Didn't do much to fill in that stat sheet but defensively made some big plays (a couple of steals and a block).


• Tacko Fall is easily a fan favorite in Vegas with several chants to get him in the game throughout the contest. He actually held up pretty well in his limited minutes. Blocked a shot, set some nice screens, didn't look too out of place for summer league action.

• Romeo Langford will not play in summer league as he continues to recover from offseason thumb surgery on a torn tendon. He is expected to be ready for training camp and is practicing with the team in Las Vegass.


• Robert Williams is very eager to get his second chance at summer league after playing just two minutes last year: “So anxious. So anxious. It’s been so long. And enjoying it with these great guys. I played AAU with Carsen. I played against Tre (in the) SEC, Harrison’s SEC. Just ready to get on the court with these guys.”


• Scott Morrison on his goals in terms of playing time rotations: "I guess the first goal will be to try to get everyone a little bit of a taste out on the court, and try to get everyone involved early on, give them a chance to show what they can do when the ball goes up, but at the end of the day, obviously we have some guys that have a little higher priority to get their minutes, make sure they get the right amount of reps and just like the regular season, it’s a balancing act between getting as many reps as they can at a high pace and not overdoing it to risk injury. So I would expect to see the Celtics picks and the returning guys get a little more opportunity to play, but everyone here has been working hard and deserves a chance to show what they can do to the NBA and the scouting world that’s watching."