Projected starting center Neemias Queta (right) came off the bench when the Celtics met up with Jaylon Tyson and the Cavaliers in preseason play.
Projected starting center Neemias Queta (right) came off the bench when the Celtics met up with Jaylon Tyson and the Cavaliers in preseason play.Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
The Celtics rolled to a 138-107 preseason win against the shorthanded Cavaliers at TD Garden on Sunday night.
Anfernee Simons made 6 of 9 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points, and Derrick White and Josh Minott added 16 points apiece.
The Celtics shot 52.4 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line, and made 34 of 39 free throws. Cleveland hit just 12 of 60 3-pointers.
Boston concludes exhibition play Wednesday when the Raptors visit. The regular season begins Oct. 22 with a home game vs. the 76ers.
Observations from the game:
▪ Coach Joe Mazzulla has cautioned onlookers not to read into his starting lineups and substitution patterns this preseason. That disclaimer aside, Chris Boucher started at center in place of Neemias Queta, alongside expected starters Jaylen Brown, White, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser.
The Celtics lost quite a bit of floor spacing following the departures of 3-point shooting big men Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. The 6-foot-9-inch Boucher shot 36.3 percent from beyond the arc last season, but attempted just one in the first half Sunday.
Queta sat the entire first quarter while backups Luka Garza and Xavier Tillman both received chances. Garza had two stints before Queta checked in to start the second quarter.
Queta, who still figures to be the starting center opening night one week from Wednesday, was active in the paint during his lone first-half stint, with a pair of baskets and four rebounds.
▪ For the third game in a row, the Celtics faced a team with a skeleton crew. Top rotation players Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, DeAndre Hunter, Lonzo Ball, and Sam Merrill did not make the trip to Boston.
So it was little surprise to see the Cavaliers struggle to generate offense, but the first half was grisly. Cleveland was 1 for 14 from the 3-point line in the opening quarter, with understandably tentative shooters unable to convert on open looks.
Mazzulla was probably most frustrated by the Cavaliers’ four offensive rebounds, however.
▪ The Celtics’ continued to emphasize pushing the pace at every opportunity. White rushed to gather the opening tip and quickly fed Pritchard for a 3-pointer just eight seconds into the game. On the rare occasions the Cavaliers made first-half baskets, Boston still had the ball past halfcourt within seconds several times.
On one, White hurried upcourt and missed a 3-pointer, but that possession left Cleveland’s defense unsettled and Thomas Bryant had the ball knocked away by Hauser (15 points), who hit a 3-pointer. The Celtics are hoping that these fast-paced moments create chaos this year.
▪ Speaking of Pritchard, he appears ready to take another step as a scorer with Tatum out.
He started the game shooting 5 for 5 from the field, including a mid-range turnaround, a steal and a layup, and two 3-pointers. Pritchard led the way with 14 points in the first half.
▪ The Simons scouting report mostly held up. He started 4 for 5 from the 3-point line, providing more evidence that he can be a flammable long-range shooter. He also missed a simple box-out and was left in the dust on a backdoor cut.
▪ Tillman continues to move quite well after battling knee swelling for much of last season. He ably switched onto smaller guards on the perimeter several times and held his own in these matchups.
▪ Yes, it is only preseason but … Mazzulla went to a 12-man rotation in the opening half, and that was with forward Jordan Walsh out for the second game in a row due to an adductor strain.
▪ Halftime was delayed for about 10 extra minutes when Mark Wahlberg came onto the court to film a scene from his upcoming movie “Weekend Warriors” about a father who travels across the country with his son to visit every NBA arena.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.