Key Moment
Charlotte hung close with the Celtics for most of Wednesday night. Then Luka Garza checked in and helped Boston turn a competitive game into a runaway win for its third preseason victory in as many tries.
Garza entered at the 8:46 mark of the fourth quarter, when the Celtics were ahead by eight, and immediately took over. He started Boston’s closing surge with a deep straightaway 3-pointer, then came up with a steal and went coast-to-coast for a dunk before burying another triple.
He went on to singlehandedly outscore Charlotte 11-9 over the final eight-plus minutes, accounting for half of Boston’s points during a 22-9 run that closed out a 114-93 victory.
Key Player
Jayson Tatum looked fantastic in his first preseason action Saturday night. And he looked even better in his second game Wednesday night.
The All-NBA wing led all players in both points (19) and rebounds (eight), while also handing out six assists and snagging two steals in 29 minutes.
Tatum did most of his scoring damage in the first quarter, pouring in 11 points to help Boston establish an early rhythm. It marked the second time in as many games that he reached double figures in the opening frame after tallying 10 first-quarter points against Philadelphia.
Box Score Nuggets
The game featured zero 20-point scorers. Jayson Tatum came the closest with 19 points.Neemias Queta (16 points) and Luka Garza (14 points) combined for 30 points off the bench.Payton Pritchard dished out a game-high 11 assists without committing a turnover.Charlotte committed 30 turnovers compared to just 11 by Boston.The Celtics recorded 16 steals, led by Derrick White’s four.Boston assisted on 31 of its 44 made field goals.Sam Hauser finished with a game-best plus-23 rating.Mitchell Robinson blocked three shots. Charlotte totaled just two blocks as a team.Boston owned a 56-20 scoring advantage in the paint.
Key Quote
“Mitch is one of the smartest players I’ve been around.”
— Joe Mazzulla on Mitchell Robinson