BSJ Game Report: Celtics 110, Raptors 108 - Tillman the hero, but concern for Brown's hamstring

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over the Raptors in their preseason finale, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics looked strong coming out of the gate in our first glimpse of mostly full strength (Sam Hauser sat out) vs. full strength opponent. But Jaylen Brown experienced left hamstring tightness halfway through the first quarter and left the game. That left Boston with some tough lineup choices, which Toronto used to come back and make it close at halftime. Derrick White had a big second half (and big game overall) but the Raptors once again forced a ton of late turnovers to make a big comeback, but Xavier Tillman hit a game-winner to save the C’s.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Jaylen Brown hurt: It doesn’t seem to be that bad, but (a) hamstrings are always tricky, and (b) hamstrings have bothered Brown for most of his career. Losing for any stretch of time obviously makes things much more difficult for them. 

- Xavier Tillman comes up big: He scored seven points over the last 3:46 and came up with a couple of big rebounds to help close things out. 

“I think he's just the ultimate professional,” Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “He's given us everything we could ask for -- practice, games. That's kind of what it's all about. So I don't care that it's a preseason game. The fact is we won, and he was a big part of that, and he delivered, and we're going to need him as we start the season.”

Count Tillman among the preseason positives. He’s not setting the NBA world on fire, but giving Boston another big body they can go to is important. A healthy and productive Tillman could be worth a couple of wins this season. 

- Derrick White carries the day: White already has a very heavy lift for the Celtics this season, and that workload is only going to increase for however long Brown is out. 

"I had the ball in my hands a lot, especially when JB goes out and Sam's not in,” White said. “Just trying to find that balance of being aggressive but also I think I have to do a better job of just getting locked in, getting some movement. It'd be good to see and just trying to be better a week from now."

THINGS I LIKED

- Derrick White: 33 points, nine rebounds, six assists for White. He’s just a pure basketball player. I trust him more than anyone on this team. He might miss a shot, but he’s rarely going to make a mistake. I think White gets himself more than one triple-double this season.

- Xavier Tillman: He came into camp talking about playing 12 pounds lighter and his knee feeling good. He worked hard this offseason to add a more consistent 3-pointer to his game. The early returns are looking good, and it was nice to see some tangible, and fun, results. 

“It feels amazing,” he said. “Those are the moments that I kind of really relish. It helps you stay motivated to the consistent day-to-day grind. You just get a chance to really kind of shine and let your work do the talking. So those are my favorite moments, for sure.”

He had seven points, two rebounds, and an assist over the last four minutes of the game, which included his game-winner. He’s also my personal hero, because he prevented the worst thing in the NBA: Preseason overtime. 

Look, I just went through that 57-4 coaches vs. media game aftermath. If this game had gone into overtime, I would have started googling exorcists to help me purge whatever demon is haunting me. 

You can’t help but feel good for a guy in this situation. I don’t know how he’s going to hold up, but the work he has put in is at least paying off in the early going. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

That also applies to …

- Neemias Queta: “Tonight was good,” Mazzulla said when he was asked about Queta. He said it in a way that clearly acknowledges Queta isn’t always good. 

“I think you see this with players when they step into different phases of their career,” he continued. “It's easy to be the rookie, and then it's kind of easy to be the fourth-string big, and then it's kind of easy to be the backup, and now it's like, hey, you've got to develop the mindset to deliver every night, and I think he has that. I think it took some time, but yesterday in practice, two days ago in practice and tonight's game, he showed what he's capable of, and we just have to hold him to that standard.”

I might be Queta’s biggest critic, but I also think I’m fair when I talk about players. This was a very good Queta game and the kind of performance that will shut me up if he can do it consistently. 

I still have my doubts, but eight points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, and two assists is hell of a night. 

- Hugo Gonzalez: I have to try to catch myself on Gonzalez because I see very good things for him in the future. I believe he is going to be a starter for the Celtics at some point. When that happens depends on his overall development and roster moves, but I’m high on his future. He feels the game very well. 

“The biggest thing from his game that we've taken is his defensive instincts, especially when he's off the ball, he does a great job just reading the game,” Mazzulla said. “His ability to rotate, deflections -- been very pleased with his defensive instincts. He just has to continue to get better at those.”

- Josh Minott: More of the same. I think he’s earned rotation minutes this year. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE (aside from the Brown injury)

- Couldn't pull away: I wasn’t thrilled with Boston’s inability to stretch its lead without Brown in the game. It’s more of an indicator of how tough things will be without Brown … especially those minutes where White has to sit. Some of that had to do with weird preseason lineups, but it’s still not great to see how much they struggled with it. 

- Late turnovers: Toronto turned up the pressure, and Boston struggled. 

“I think in that situation where Anfernee is the only ball handler, we all have to realize that we all have to be secondary ball handlers,” Mazzulla said. “I thought on two of those, we have to come back and meet the ball. It has nothing to do with the pressure. When there's a trap in the back court, you have to just come and meet that, regardless of who you are.”

The Celtics looked like the beat writers wilting against the assistant coaches there for a couple of minutes. The full court pressure and trapping shouldn’t be this difficult for them to handle. At least I can blame my age. 

- Anfernee Simons: I was going to let Simons slide a bit, but then that fourth quarter happened. On top of having a tough shooting night (4-13 overall, 2-9 from 3), he had six turnovers, and he didn’t handle the late-game situation well. Mazzulla said he left Simons out there as the lone ball handler on purpose. He definitely needs to get better in those situations. 

- Luka Garza offensive fouls: I feel like this is going to be the norm for Garza. He can be so good with his screening, but every once in a while, he pushes the boundaries, and he’ll get an officiating crew that won’t like what they see. Three offensive fouls in a single game is rough. 

- Tough shooting: The Celtics only shot 36-93 (38.7%) and 15-52 from deep (28.8%) 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- The Celtics need to be very careful with Brown’s hamstring

Soft tissue injuries are so much trickier than tears and breaks. A broken bone or a torn ligament is healed when it heals and that's pretty much the end of it. A person who suffers from a chronic soft tissue issue can be fully healthy and then suddenly pull up lame. 

So as much as I’m the “you play when you’re 100%” guy, there's a little different approach when it comes to Brown and hamstring issues. On top of clean imaging and feeling strong, the Celtics have to make extra sure the tightness doesn’t linger. 

The good news is that the regular season is a week away, so Brown can take it easy for now. Mazzulla says Brown told him he’d be okay, which isn’t much of an update. That just basically means Brown’s leg won’t fall off.

This could take two days, two weeks, or longer. In this particular instance, because it’s a soft tissue injury in a guy with a history of these particular soft tissue injuries, they need to be diligent and cautious. The wins and losses don’t matter this season, so there's no hurry to bring him back. 

Next up: The Celtics begin the 2025-26 season at home next Wednesday vs. the Philadelphia 76ers.