UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Celtics’ new-look starting five was all about opportunity.
For the usual starters, it was a chance to get an extra day off (the team won’t practice on Sunday).
And for the rest of the players, the path to playing time on Saturday was a lot smoother than it was in the first two preseason games.
The fact that Boston went into the half ahead 49-38 was a bonus.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens announced shortly before tip-off that his starting five today would be Marcus Smart; Gerald Green; Jaylen Brown; Jae Crowder and Tyler Zeller.
It was a group we had not seen play together before in the preseason. And not surprisingly, they did not look extremely crisp to start.
“This time of year, there’s a lot of learning and a lot of thinking out there,” Celtics center Tyler Zeller told CSNNE.com prior to tip-off. “So it’ll take a little while before any of the groups we play, really start clicking.”
Boston trailed 10-5 in the first quarter, but closed out the first with a 13-8 run that made it an 18-all game after the first.
The second quarter was relatively until Terry Rozier opened things up but certainly not the way he would have liked.
With 7:42 to play in the half, Rozier was hit with an elbow as Charlotte’s Christian Wood drove into the lane knocking Rozier to the floor.
After team trainer Ed Lacerte came on to the floor with a towel to slow down the blood flow, Rozier was taken to the locker room for further examination. It was determined that his lip was cut to where it would require stitches. Team officials said Rozier would not return.
Following the incident, the Celtics closed out the half with a 23-14 run.
Boston was led by Tyler Zeller’s 10 points while R.J. Hunter, who struggled in the first two preseason games had 7 points. As for the Hornets, they were led by former UConn stars Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb who had 6 and 5 points, respectively. In addition, Charlotte’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led the Hornets with 9 points.