Kemba Walker has been shoes to fill in Boston but he struggled against the size of the Sixers on Wednesday night. The point guard managed just 12 points and 2 assists on 4-of-18 shooting from the field, setting the tone for a paltry Boston offense (36 percent from the field) in the midst of an ugly 107-93 loss to the Sixers. Gordon Hayward had a game-high 25 points in a lone bright spot for Boston's offense but there were inefficient nights from Jayson Tatum and Walker, which combined with foul trouble for Jaylen Brown (just 8 minutes) made it tough for the C's to keep pace with a Philly starting five that combined for 87 points.
GAME: No. 1 of 82
WHO: Celtics (0-0) vs. Sixers (0-0)
WHEN: 7:30 EST
WHERE: Wells Fargo Center
RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub
TV: ESPN/NBC Sports Boston
Projected Starting Lineups:
Celtics
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Daniel Theis/Enes Kanter
Sixers:
G: Ben Simmons
G: Josh Richardson
SF: Tobias Harris
PF: Al Horford
C: Joel Embiid
First Half Notes
--Ugly game from both sides, especially from the perimeter in the early going.
--Jayson Tatum hasn't been shy with his shot and pull-up 3 attempts but he's been off for the most part, going just 4-of-13 from the field to begin the game.
—Kanter has been working his butt off banging with Kanter and has done a nice job holding himself in check. Nine first half points on 4-of-6 shooting off some finishes at the rim.
—An uneventful first half for Kemba Walker as a Celtic. Would like to see him get more separation against a Sixers defense that doesn’t have the speed to stick with him but only 10 points on 3-of-0 shooting early on.
—Just eight assists on 18 makes so far for C’s. Ball movement has not been crisp early on, which is to be expected.
—Stevens went 12 players deep in the first half as Jaylen Brown got into foul trouble (four) in the second quarter.
—Strong D from Ojeleye on Harris/Simmons in the first quarter. Would like to see more of him in the second half to keep from Simmons from getting many easy looks.
—Hayward looking more like himself last year than anything else so far. Just five points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
—Encouraging minutes from Rob Williams who was very active on lob attempts and with help defense in the paint against Philly’s size.
—C’s need to do a better job of not fouling if they want a chance in the second half after allowing 23 first half free throws.
- The Celtics will be close to full strength for the opener as center Robert Williams was cleared out of concussion protocol on Tuesday after taking a hard fall last week. Romeo Langford will be inactive due to a sore knee but everyone else is good to go.
- Jayson Tatum on the challenge of facing Al Horford in his new home, particularly in post situations: “It’s tough. Al’s a great player in this league. He’s been a great player for a very, very long time. It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be fun competing out there against them. I’m looking forward to it.”
- Brad Stevens refused to reveal his starting five during shootaround, electing to unveil it when the NBA requires him to 30 minutes before tip.
- Tatum on the opener against a division rival: “I think the fuel comes just from the first game. We’ve been working real hard in preseason and training camp. You try to win every game you can, so this is no different. We’re trying to start off on the right track.”