Boston Coach Brad Stevens watches his team during Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Matt Slocum/Associated Press
The crammed, abbreviated nature of this training camp was on full display Tuesday night. The Celtics threw the ball away eight times alone in the first quarter. Philadelphia added another four.
Jeff Teague scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting, including 4 for 4 from 3-point range, in Tuesday’s preseason game against Philadelphia 76ers. Matt Slocum/Associated Press
It’s hard to tell exactly what you have under these conditions, and in the wake of the Celtics’ 108-99 loss to the Sixers in their exhibition opener, perhaps the most satisfying element for Brad Stevens was that he had good video on all his players.
Thirteen dressed, and they all played, from Tacko Fall’s 10 minutes to Grant Williams’ team-high 24. And though rookie Payton Pritchard opened eyes immediately with his 16-point, 6-for-10 shooting performance, the player who gave Stevens the greatest sense of security was another newcomer.
Jeff Teague will bear a heavy responsibility, especially until Kemba Walker returns sometime in January from knee rehabilitation, and the 32-year-old point guard made an impressive initial stamp with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting, including 4 for 4 from 3-point range.
But beyond his scoring, Teague calmed down some of those early jitters.
“He got us several baskets that were just easy. Pushing the ball up the floor, doesn’t look like he’s breaking a sweat,” said Stevens. “Sometimes it was him, sometimes it was others but really in the first 30 minutes, I felt like that was the only time the ball was moving the way it needs to, when he was in the game. … I thought we looked the most fluid offensively when Jeff was in the game tonight.”
Teague, who has talked about the difficulty of building chemistry on his new team as a result of the hurried conditions of this training camp, understands that there’s significant room for improvement.
“I think you saw tonight that we have a little adjustment period that we need,” he said. “I think obviously we can be a lot better, but for the first game, I think we did a little better in the second half being cohesive and being kind of a tight unit, but the first half was a little struggle for us, we couldn’t really find our footing. But I think as we get another one under our belt, we’ll be OK.”
• The Celtics are back on the road after their experience in the Orlando bubble, but save for the private jet and the hotel, little has changed as the NBA attempts to continue operating in the age of COVID-19.
“Been a quick turnaround since we left Orlando, but we have been glad that we had the opportunity to play games,” said center Daniel Theis. “The NBA found a common ground with the PA and ruled that we were able to travel to play NBA games. It’s a lot different on the plane – we all have to sit separate and wear a mask at all times. Small things for us to follow – just come here and play the games, play basketball.”
This time, though, the chance of infection and exposure is greater. Regular travel, alone, raises that possibility.
“Definitely different, probably complicated as well,” said Theis. “I trust our team and the whole staff to follow all the rules and protocols that we have. That’s all we can do so that they take good care of us.”
• Payton Pritchard’s selection – 26th overall – was met with a collective shrug on draft night. Danny Ainge was privately excited about the pick, and the first Celtics preseason game provided us a glimpse into Ainge’s thought process.
Pritchard’s 16 points in a little more than 21 minutes of play was a nice start.
“Honestly, it was just trying to get in the flow of things,” Pritchard said. “Obviously, it’s a little bit of a different game than college. This is my first time, so a little bit of jitters. So just really trying to get a feel out there and that was pretty much it.”
He hit his first shot but then missed three in a row before settling in to hit five of his last six, all the while moving the ball on offense and playing active defense. His tenacity and hot stretch overshadowed a solid game from fellow rookie Aaron Nesmith.
“I thought they did a lot of good things,” Stevens said after the game. “There’s a lot of film they can improve off of but I thought both Aaron and Payton played well.”
• While there were no fans in the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday with COVID-19 cases rising around the country, piped-in crowd noise was noticeable for Stevens, with a distincy Philadelphia flair.
“I appreciate Philly, when they announced our starting lineup, they did the ‘You suck’ chant,” Stevens said after the game. “That made it feel a little more like Philly. I missed all those people behind me wishing me ‘Happy Holidays’ in their own special way.”
The Sixers placed covers with team logos over entire sections of lower-level seats and kept the upper levels dark.
HORNETS: Gordon Hayward is listed as day to day after breaking the bone at the base of his right pinky finger.
The team says Hayward sustained an avulsion fracture of his fifth metacarpal on the right hand during a preseason game against the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 14. Hayward will miss Thursday’s game at Orlando, but the Hornets say he will not need surgery. His return will be based on pain tolerance and comfort level.
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