Final: Celtics 107, Hornets 106 -- Rookies rally C's to win in preseason opener

The Celtics preseason opener marked the debut of Kemba Walker at the TD Garden but it was the C’s rookies that stole the show in the second half of a 107-106 victory over the Hornets. Carsen Edwards (11 points) and Javonte Green (15 points) keyed a double-digit second half comeback for the hosts that saw underwhelming play from the starters in the first three quarters, particularly on the defensive end. Robert Williams received a surprise start at center in the opener but played just 10 minutes after struggling with his discipline on the defensive end.

Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 20 points while Walked added 12 points and four assists in limited action. While Boston’s new-look frontcourt showed plenty of leaks on the interior early on between Enes Kanter and Robert Williams, it was the play of Boston’s rookies that finished off the night on a high note. On top of standout play by Edwards and potential 15th man candidate Green, Grant Williams delivered a strong debut with a team-high eight rebounds in 17 minutes. Tacko Fall also delighted the garden crowd with five points and a pair of blocks in the fourth quarter after being chanted for several times over the course of the night.

Terry Rozier looked sharp in his return to the Garden as a visitor after receiving a positive ovation from the Garden crowd. He posted nine points and a game-high nine assists in 22 minutes of action as Charlotte’s regulars soundly outplayed Boston through the opening three quarters before the rookie rally.

The C’s will get a few days to work out the kinks before facing off with the Magic in preseason game No. 2 on Friday night.

—Jayson Tatum scores first seven of nine points for C’s starting five that includes Robert Williams in the middle

—Strong take by Hayward and nice lob to Rob Williams to start the game. Hayward looking a lot more aggressive going to the rim.

—Kemba unselfish early, moving a lot and setting up everyone

—Tatum a couple early travels and turnovers have been a big issue early with 10 miscues in the first half.

-Communication on defense has been pretty ugly in the interior. Hornets shot 9-of-10 inside the arc in the first half with little resistance from the C’s bigs on the rim.

—Kanter showing some good hands on pass from Smart but his lackluster defense has been as advertised.

—Some strong moments from the rookies early on as Grant Williams drew a foul in his first post up and Carsen Edwards knocked down his first two 3s of the night.

—Semi Ojeleye pressing a bit early on the offensive end with a couple questionable shots.

—Jaylen Brown with some nice drives to the rim early on and was a featured scorer with the reserves.

—Brad Wanamaker with a couple of blown layups but he’s getting the first crack in the middle.

—C’s transition defense has been very iffy as Hornets are firing early and often from downtown.

• Kemba Walker will play his first game in a Celtic uniform against his former team and is eager to see some familiar faces: “I don’t know, I kind of don’t know what to expect yet,” Walker said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be too many emotions, just because it’s preseason. I know this game -- I don’t want to say it doesn’t count -- but I’ll see those guys tonight, though. I’m going to see those guys tonight.”


• Brad Stevens emphasized before the preseason opener there would be plenty of experimentation in the coming weeks as the C's figure out their best lineup looks: “We have 15 roster spots and two two-ways fighting for the opportunity to get minutes, would be the way that I would answer that, so those guys, just like everybody else, have an open slate to play and they might be seeing minutes in some matchups, they may see less in others and they may see consistent minutes. That’s all still to be determined. We’re going to mess with lineups all the way through the preseason. We’re not going to have a starting lineup per se, a backup lineup, there are some guy that may not play until the second half tomorrow that we think will be really impactful from day one, so we’ll go from there.”


• Walker on his adjustment period to Boston thus far: “I’m getting there,” Walker said. “I’m getting there. It’s definitely taking me some time to adjust. Obviously, I’ve been in Charlotte for eight years, so now, something new, but I’m loving the adjustment, I’m loving the transition, and my teammates and coaching staff and everyone around me welcomed me with open arms and really just showing me the ropes around the city, around everything. It’s been a good transition so far.”


• Terry Rozier will make his return to Boston after signing a three-year contract with the Hornets this offseason. For more on his return, check out today's NBA Notebook