BOSTON — While the Celtics were up big and had their chances late, they fell in the final seconds 117-116 to the 76ers in their season opener Wednesday from TD Garden. The C’s dropped to 0-1 to start the season as they’ll look to bounce back as they face the Knicks on Friday in New York City.
Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics in the loss to be Wednesday’s “Name to Know” Player of the Game. The Name to Know Player of the Game is sponsored by John’s Sewer and Drain Cleaning, the Name to Know when your drains don’t flow.
Brown was tied with Derrick White to lead the Celtics with 25 points. He shot 9-for-18 from the field and 2-of-4 on 3-pointers, easing himself into the game. Brown scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter alone as the Celtics went to him for some crucial possessions down the stretch. While he had some misses, he was still crucial to keeping the Celtics in the game.
The Celtics went 10 players deep in their rotation Wednesday, showcasing some of that depth they’ve talked about during the preseason. Brown played 36 minutes as he’ll be featured throughout the season with Jayson Tatum sidelined with his Achilles injury. While Brown set up his teammates early to start the game, he took on more of the scoring burden in the second half.
It was a strong start for the Celtics in the third quarter as they dominated the Sixers in the frame, 35-18. But the defense faltered as they gave up 42 points in the fourth quarter. Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe took over for stretches of the game, respectively.
Brown played through a recent hamstring injury he suffered last week in the preseason finale against the Raptors. He was questionable coming into the game before getting upgraded to available. It seems like it’ll be an injury Brown will have to manage, though he was still effective in his minutes Wednesday.
“I thought it held up well,” Brown said. “Definitely gotta do some recovery. Within the first two weeks coming back from a strain, you’ve gotta make sure that you get your recovery in because that’s when the risk is at its highest. So I just gotta make sure I’m focusing on my body, getting my rest, doing my recovery, and getting ready for the next game.”
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