1. Overtime Thriller
It’s not common that I find myself on the edge of my seat and yelling at my TV over a preseason NBA game but I found myself in that exact position tonight watching the Boston Celtics defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 125-120 in overtime. In a game where the 76ers started all of their starters against the Celtics who ran out what could end up being their Maine Celtics lineup at some point this year, Boston overcame the adversity and took down the Goliath. Am I being a bit hyperbolic for a preseason game?
Yes. But it was still an entertaining game to watch despite it not being a game that actually counts.
What did impress me the most out of the group the Celtics played tonight was the fact that no one seemed afraid of the moment. Even in a preseason game, there are a lot of guys in Boston’s starting lineup that are fighting for a roster spot with either the Celtics on a two-way deal or just a G League spot. Philadelphia’s starters had a combined 89,240 Career NBA Points to their name while Boston had a combined 6 points, all by Hayden Gray who played in one NBA game with the Utah Jazz last season.
Everyone on the roster in this game looked to be aggressive and they didn’t care that NBA Champions and MVPs like LeBron James, Joel Embiid or Jaylen Brown were in the way. There was sloppy play at times from the Celtics but it was the hustle stats that told the story. Boston out-rebounded the Philadelphia 63-46, finished 16 more shot attempts, and forced 18 turnovers. There were times where Boston looked to be the better team with the 76ers starters on the floor and I think that is a huge testament to the culture of the Celtics.
2. Head Coach Sam Cassell
Similar to the first game of the preseason when assistant coaches Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay took the reigns from Joe Mazzulla, Sam Cassell made his Celtics head coaching debut for Boston in their matchup against the 76ers. Cassell was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers from 2020-2023 before joining the Celtics coaching staff in June of 2023. He was tied for 5th in the 2026-27 NBA GM Survey as the best assistant coach in the NBA and has been a hot name in the head coaching candidate circles a lot in the past.
Cassell did a great job when it came to coaching up the players who didn’t have a lot of playing time during the rest of the preseason games this year. He was actively engaged on the sidelines and helped lead Boston back from a 14 point deficit midway through the the third quarter.
When asked postgame about the starting lineup, Cassell said, “We wanted to reward these guys…they pushed our guys in training camp the last three or four weeks and Joe was like let’s reward them…It’s a big thing to be a starter for the Boston Celtics and this something I’m pretty sure none of them will ever forget in their lives.”
It was cool to see Joe Mazzulla give his assistant coaches the chance to shine in this preseason. It feels like Cassell will eventually get a head coaching job in the NBA one day and even though it will be sad to see him leave the Celtics, he is more than deserving of an opportunity.
3. Maine Celtics Standouts
Similar to Mazzulla and Cassell giving them the start, I wanted to highlight the contributions of the lesser known names from the starting lineup. Hayden Gray, Milos Uzan, Tucker Devries, and Gabe McGlothan all played a pivotal role in the Celtics win tonight with their play down the stretch of the fourth quarter and overtime.
Starting with Hayden Gray who finished with 7 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals on 3-6 shooting while also being a +11. Gray was impressive early, showing his two-man game with Celtics 2026 first round pick Chris Cenac Jr. We even saw a play similar to Rajon Rondo where after a steal, he made a behind the back pass to Cenac Jr. for an easy dunk. Gray was also a stabilizing force as a ball handler for Boston late in the game as similar lineups struggled when it came to getting the ball up the court. It feels like Gray will end up with a two-way contract at some point this season whether its with Boston or not and I am excited to see how his NBA career will unfold.
Milos Uzan was the leading scorer of the starting lineup, finishing with 14 points on 4-9 shooting. Uzan also had chemistry with his former Houston Cougars teammate Chris Cenac Jr. as Cassell seemed to stagger their minutes together. His biggest moment of the game came at the end of overtime where he hit a dagger shot as the shot clock was expiring to give Boston a 7 point lead, all but sealing the win. Uzan is another guy I can see on a two-way contract at some point this season and I hope we are able to see him play for the Maine Celtics this year because he is a solid player.
Tucker DeVries was another standout when it came to his shooting, finishing with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals and shot 3-5 from three in the fourth quarter. DeVries gave Boston their first lead after being down by 14 points midway through the third quarter and gave them life for the rest of the game. He will be another fun guy to watch with the Maine Celtics this year just for his ability to get hot from beyond the arc.
Finally, we have Gabe McGlothan who was an absolute monster on boards, finishing with 6 points and 13 rebounds, 5 of which coming on the offensive glass. McGlothan played a lot of small ball center for Boston at the end of the fourth quarter and overtime and did a great job keeping the Celtics alive. He felt like the guy that got the least amount of playing time this preseason but he made a name for himself when given the opportunity in this game. Another guy who will be a fun watch in the G League this year.
4. Gonzalez Shined Again
Hugo Gonzalez saved his best performance in his stellar preseason this year for last as against the 76ers he finished with a team-high 21 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 6-10 shooting from the field and 3-7 from three. Gonzalez finished the preseason shooting an impressive 19-30 (63%) overall while also shooting 11-20 (55%) from beyond the arc. This is a great sign for the Celtics as we could be in store for a big Year 2 from Hugo.
His offense was the biggest standout for me in this game as he looked like a complete offensive player. His drives to the paint for tough buckets over taller defenders was impressive but his three point shooting was also great. Gonzalez was able to catch the ball in the corner and with no hesitation pull the trigger on a wide open three. His most impressive shot to me came in the second quarter when he hit a pull-up three over Tyrese Maxey who was draped all over him.
This is the type of shot creation we didn’t see last year and after not playing much in the Celtics game against the Hornets on Wednesday, Gonzalez was able to put his full skillset on display. I hope this means we get to see more of him in the rotation during the regular season because it feels like good things happen when he is on the court.
5. Harper Jr. First Full Preseason Action
After missing the first two games of the preseason with a shoulder injury, Ron Harper Jr. played in 6 minutes in the fourth quarter of the Celtics third preseason game against the Hornets. That changed a lot in this matchup against the 76ers where he played in 35 minutes, finishing with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists on 7-20 shooting. Although the three point shot wasn’t there in this game and he finished with 5 turnovers, Harper Jr. was the main offensive option down the stretch, playing almost every minute of the fourth quarter and overtime. Harper Jr. shot 6-12 in the fourth quarter with a lot of great cuts to the basket and nice finishes.
Harper Jr. being the leader at the end of the game felt fitting considering he was in a similar position to a lot of the guys he played with on the court. Starting in the G League with the Celtics before eventually working his way up to a two-way contract and then eventually a long term extension this offseason. In his postgame interview with Abby Chin on NBC Sports Boston, he highlighted this work ethic by saying, “Nobody expected us to win, especially when we roll out that (starting) lineup and they see who’s playing and not playing, but we don’t really care. We just go out there and play Boston Celtics basketball and find a way to get it done.”
Ron Harper Jr. knows what it takes to play for the Celtics and it feels like he is in store for a big season this year. It would not surprise me if we see a handful of games where due to injuries or rest, Harper Jr. puts up some big performances for Boston off the bench.
6. Another Solid Garza Game
Similar to Gonzalez, another guy who has had an impressive preseason for the Celtics has been Luka Garza. In this game he finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds on 3-6 shooting from the field, 2-4 from three, and 5-7 from the free throw line. Garza is once again showing why he deserves some time in Boston’s rotation. Garza finished the preseason averaging 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds and it felt like every time he was on the floor for Boston he made his presence known.
The first quarter was what impressed me the most about Garza’s performance. In 6 minutes he had 7 points and 4 offensive rebounds, all in quick succession. The best coming off of a fast break for the Celtics where he grabbed the board over three 76ers in the vicinity. He might not be as skilled as Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson, but his ability to crash the offensive glass is special and much like Ron Harper Jr, he will win Boston a few games this year with his effort alone.
7. Cenac Jr. Best Game
After an electric Summer League the Celtics 2026 first round pick Chris Cenac Jr. was a name to watch throughout the preseason. In his first game against the Cavaliers he got a ton of minutes but shot 3-13 and after that got fourth quarter minutes once Boston’s starters started playing. However, against the 76ers in this game, Cenac Jr. was in the starting lineup for the Celtics and played well, finishing with 12 points and 8 rebounds on 6-10 shooting despite fouling out in the fourth quarter.
At 19 years old, Cenac Jr. held his own against the likes of LeBron James and Joel Embiid on defense, even getting a block on Tyrese Maxey. On offense he was a great play finisher, a noteable improvement from his first game. He did a great job rolling to the basket and cutting out of the corners that lead to a ton of easy dunks. It’s a part of his game that has me the most excited because of the Celtics great history of developing big men. I wonder if he starts the season in Boston or ends up with Maine to get more playing time? Either way he will be a fun piece for the future of the Celtics.
8. Sharp Shooter Mitchell
When Dillon Mitchell was at St. John’s this past season for college basketball, he was known as being a crazy athlete but he was not known as a shooter at all. In fact, in his senior season, he only attempted 15 shots from three and making only 1. It was going to be a real test to see if the Celtics could fix his jumper so he could hit it at even an average level. In the Summer League there were good signs as he finished shooting 3-8 from beyond the arc in 3 games played but there were still questions.
In the preseason, Mitchell only attempted 1 three before this game but in this game he attempted 2. One came in the fourth quarter where he missed but the second came in maybe the biggest moment of the game in overtime. With 1:31 left, Mitchell pulled a three that looked to shock everyone and cashed it to put the Celtics up by 5. This is a great example of the hard work paying off for Dillon Mitchell and hopefully we are able to see him shoot the ball with even more comfortability as the season goes on.
9. Brown vs Boston Looked Weird
After playing 10 years for the Boston Celtics, developing into a 5 time All-Star, a 2 time All-NBA player, a 2024 NBA Champion, and 2024 Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown played his game against his former club and I won’t lie to you, it was really weird to see. Brown played in parts of all four quarters in this game, finishing with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks on 8-14 shooting and I hated watching every second of it. Watching him size up his former teammates that he mentored all last season just looked uncanny.
Postgame, all of those same teammates like Baylor Scheierman and Ron Harper Jr. went up to him to say good game and Brown had some words for them as well. “He said we’re still ugly, that just means he misses us” Harper Jr. said in his postgame interview when asked about his conversation with Brown and that just hit me all in the feels.
When asked if the trip to TD Garden and playing against his former team tonight made the emotions of playing the Celtics go away, Jaylen Brown said in his postgame interview, “I played there for 10 years, so it’ll never be out of the way.” Safe to say the feeling is mutual when it comes to both Brown and Boston fan’s as a whole. His time in Boston will never be forgotten even if he’s wearing a 76ers jersey now. It still feels insane that the NBA scheduled Brown’s regular season return to Boston on January 21st.
10. Perfect Preseason
With their win over the 76ers, the Celtics finished with a perfect 4-0 record in the preseason this year. The last time Boston finished with a 4-0 record in the preseason was all the way back in the 2019-20 season. That team went on to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, so surely there is a direct correlation to an undefeated preseason and postseason success right? Probably not.
Either way this was a fun preseason to watch for a new look Boston Celtics squad. We got to see the new guys like Paul George and Mitchell Robinson showcase a little bit of their talents. We saw the young guys like Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh show real improvements. Finally, we got to see what could be the start of some great seasons by guys like Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum. Either way, preseason is finally over and that means we finally get some real Boston Celtics basketball once again.
