The Celtics won their second straight game in NBA Summer League on Wednesday night, rallying late for a 89-84 victory over the previously undefeated Hornets at Cox Pavillion. Boston trailed by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter but rallied for the win by closing the game with a 17-7 run in the final four minutes.
Anton Watson and Jahi’mus Ramsey (15 points) led the way for Boston as four different players finished in double figures. Zavier Simpson had a game-high 19 points for the Hornets in the loss. The victory improved Boston to 2-1 in Summer League play with an encouraging performance while three of the team’s top players were given the night off.
Boston will get one more off day Thursday before their final group stage game against the Mavericks on Friday afternoon. A blowout win there could open the door for Boston to advance into the semifinals in Summer League.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win over the Hornets:
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JD Davison continues his strong week in Vegas: The point guard played light minutes in his third game of the week but showed off a nice balance offensively between attacking the basket and setting up his teammates. He went 4-of-6 from the field with all of his makes coming inside while dishing out a team-high four assists in 19 minutes. During three games in Las Vegas, Davison is shooting 59 percent from the field and 55 percent from 3-point range. Another strong performance on Friday against the Mavericks could help the Celtics advance to the semifinals out of pool play.
Several veterans get the night off: Boston’s brass saw all they needed to out of Jaden Springer in the opener as he got his second straight night off. Joining him on the bench for this matchup was Neemias Queta and Drew Peterson. Queta had been Boston’s best player in Las Vegas, piling up 21 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Peterson has been less consistent but he’s a known commodity at this point so his minutes freed up a bigger offensive opportunity for the rookies on the squad. It’s likely Springer’s summer is done but we could see more Queta or Peterson return to action later this week.
Jordan Walsh can’t find a rhythm: The second-year forward had a clear chance to take on a bigger offensive onus on Wednesday night with so many regulars out. However, Walsh remained marred in a slump that led to him getting benched for most of crunch time. Walsh scored just two points in the win, missing all five of his shot attempts. He’s now shooting 20 percent from the field during Summer League and has missed all 12 of his 3-point attempts. After a solid rookie year with the Maine Celtics, this week has been a step in the wrong direction for the 20-year-old, particularly with his offense. His salary is guaranteed for one more year but any notion of pushing for a rotation spot next season should fade after this week.
Anton Watson lets it fly: The second-round pick was heavily encouraged to get more shots up from 3-point range by Brad Stevens after getting drafted and he delivered on that front Wednesday. Nine of his 12 field goal attempts were from beyond the arc as he shot confidently on kickouts from Boston’s guards. His team-high 15 points were a plus given he made a strong defensive impact as well (two steals, one block) while posting a team-high plus 11 in 24 minutes. So far, he looks like the rookie who may be ready to contribute more in spot duty based on his play this week. I’d expect the team to sign him to a two-way deal later this week.
